Kerry to hold talks with Russian, Chinese leaders

File photo: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov with US Secretary of State John Kerry [Image: Archives]

Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet visiting US State Secretary John Kerry in the Russian city of Sochi on Tuesday.

“I think that US decided that it is not beneficial for them to follow the path of total confrontation. If the visit confirms that the US decided to make a shift in cooperation, it will already be a positive result,” said the Russian parliament’s Committee on International Affairs chairman Alexey Pushkov on Tuesday.

In Sochi, Kerry will hold talks with Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. The two sides will discuss bilateral issues and international hotspots like Iran, Syria, Ukraine and the continuing battle with the Islamic State militants.

The United States has begun training Syrian rebels as part of an effort to build a force capable of fighting against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group.

Earlier last week, most Western leaders boycotted the Victory Parade in Moscow which celebrated 70 years since the end of World War II.

“Strategically [the US] don’t want to allow a situation in which important regions of the world live and prosper without them, without the Americans. That is why it is important for them to keep people dependent of them,” Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov said last month.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State John Kerry will also visit China later this week.

During his 16-17 May trip, Kerry will meet with senior Chinese leaders in Beijing to “advance US priorities” ahead of a new round of “Strategic and Economic Dialogue with China” and discuss President Xi Jinping’s state visit in the fall.

 

 

 

TBP