John Kerry meets Russian officials over Syria crisis

Kerry met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow on Tuesday. No details of the meetings have been released.
 
He is expected to hold a news conference with his Russian counterpart later in the day.
 
Washington and Moscow are at odds over the Syria crisis. While US supports anti-Damascus militants seeking to topple the government of President Bashar al-Assad, Russia remains a supporter of his government.
 
Russia accuses the West of worsening the Syrian conflict by calling for Assad’s ouster. In return, Washington accuses Moscow of not doing enough to stop the bloodshed in Syria
 
Before the talks, Kerry said Russia and the US shared common interests in solving the conflict in Syria and promoting stability in the region.
 
Kerry's visit comes days after Israel launched airstrikes on Syria. Russia has condemned the attacks as a threat to regional stability.
 
It is Kerry's first trip to Russia since taking over as US secretary of state in February. After his visit to Russia, Kerry will travel to Rome to meet Italian, Israeli and Jordanian officials to discuss Middle East issues.