U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Moscow for talks with President
Vladimir Putin on Syria and other matters of mutual interests, aides said.
"[We] fully expect serious conversation on Iran, North Korea, Afghanistan," a
senior State Department official said Monday during a briefing on Kerry's trip.
"And finally, without question, we'll be discussing Syria."
"I fully expect a serious dialogue on issues of trade and cooperation," the
official, speaking anonymously, said. "Both President Putin and President Obama
... have made clear that they want to see more activity in terms of our
bilateral relationship in this dimension, and so this trip will give us an
opportunity to discuss some of the ideas that we've outlined in that sphere."
Kerry and Russian leaders also will discuss counter-terrorism cooperation, the
official said.
Kerry will meet with Putin and then have a bilateral meeting with Foreign
Minister Sergei Lavrov.
Kerry's two-day trip to Russia is his first since being confirmed as secretary
of state.
Kerry flew to Moscow Monday. On Wednesday, he will fly to Rome, where he will
meet with senior Italian government officials to discuss bilateral and global
issues, including events in Afghanistan, Syria, and elsewhere in the Middle
East, the State Department said.
While in Rome, Kerry will meet with Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh to
discuss regional issues and with Israeli Justice Minister Tzipi Livni as part of
his discussions on peace in the Middle East, the department said.
