Russia and US to jointly investigate chemical weapons in Syria - Lavrov

"Today, we agreed on and it has been made official, including, at the meeting in the Kremlin with Russian President, that our intelligence services will work even more closely, in order to clearly understand the exact circumstances surrounding the claims that chemical weapons were used by either side of the conflict in Syria," he said.

Lavrov added that Russia no less concerned than the U.S. about the use of chemical weapons in Syria, but this topic is very complex and demanding.

"We need to be 100% sure that that we are not caught up in rumors, or in a conscious provocation," said the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry.

The Geneva Communiqué is a way to end the Syrian crisis - John Kerry

The Geneva Communiqué is an important basis for ending the Syrian crisis said US Secretary of State John Kerry adding that the United States notes the importance of the Geneva communique in resolving the situation in Syria.

"The approaches of the U.S. and Russia on a political settlement of the conflict in Syria have never really been that disparate but were delayed from converging as was, for various reasons, the practical implementation of the measures in the Geneva agreement,” The Voice of Russia correspondent Polina Chernitsa reports.

The Geneva Communiqué is an important document that should lead to a peaceful settlement of the situation in Syria, and not remain a simple statement on paper, therefore at an international conference scheduled for late May, it is important to invite representatives of the opposition and the Syrian government, said the U.S. Secretary of State after talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.

"We believe that the Geneva Communiqué is really an important way to put an end to the bloodshed in Syria. This should not be a piece of paper, or empty diplomacy, but it should pave the way for a new Syria, where there are no longer massacres," he said.

Kerry confirmed that probably at the end of May, the Russian Federation and the United States will try to organize an international conference as a follow up to the meeting of the Action Group on Syria, which was held in June 2012 in Geneva.

"Our goal will be to invite the opposition and the Syrian government to conference and to implement the goals that have been specified in the Geneva Communique," said the U.S. Secretary of State.

Russia - U.S. to convene conference on Syria - Lavrov

Russia and the United States agreed to encourage the Syrian government and the opposition to advance efforts in achieving a dialogue, and to this end have decided to convene an international conference in late May which will follow up on the Geneva meeting which took place on June 30, 2012, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said after talks with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.

"Russia and the United States will encourage the Syrian government and opposition groups to come to a political solution to the conflict," Foreign Minister Lavrov stated.

"We also agreed on the need to try, and I think it will happen as soon as possible, possibly at the end of May, to convene an international conference to be organized in on the basis of the Geneva Conference, which was held in June last year," said the Russian Foreign Minister.

U.S. Secretary of State Kerry pleased over talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin

"I am grateful to President Putin that he received me, and for the fact that we had a meaningful conversation," John Kerry said during a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow on Tuesday.

He also thanked his counterpart the Russian Foreign Minister for the hospitality he had received and for the approach of the Russian side to a number of critical issues.

"Thank you very much for your hospitality. I would like to thank you for your approach. You are very serious about a number of critical issues that are important to our country," said U.S. Secretary of State.

He noted that between Moscow and Washington there remain significant differences on a number of issues.

"However, it is worth noting that on really important issues, such as the START-2 Treaty, WTO, Iran, North Korea, and Afghanistan, our level of partnership is really outstanding, and we are talking about cooperation on issues that are of global importance," said John Kerry.

He said that U.S. President Barack Obama "looks forward to the opportunity to meet with Mr. Putin" on the sidelines of the G-8 Summit in Northern Ireland."

"I came here in order to fulfill the orders of President Obama: we are firmly focused on the fact that the U.S. and Russia can actually collaborate on a number of important issues," said U.S. Secretary of State.

In particular, he mentioned issues such as the settlement of the conflicts in the Middle East and in Syria.

Moscow happy with level of the Russian-American cooperation - Putin

Moscow is satisfied with the level of the Russian-American cooperation, President Vladimir Putin said at the meeting with the US State Secretary John Kerry in Kremlin on Tuesday.

Putin said he planned to deepen the bilateral cooperation during the contacts with US President Barack Obama.

The nearest meeting will take place on June 17-18 as part of the G8 summit in Northern Ireland.

In September, Obama is expected to visit Russia and to take part the G20 summit in St. Petersburg.

On Tuesday Putin also said that he was preparing an answer to the letter of Obama’s advisor Tom Donilon.

In his turn Kerry thanked Russia for the assistance in the investigation of the terrorist attack in Boston. He added that the settlement of many international issues required closer cooperation of the US and Russia.

US, Russia FM talks underway in Moscow

Talks between US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov have started in Moscow. This is the fourth meeting between the foreign ministers of Russia and the US. The Voice of Russia correspondent Polina Chernitsa reports.

The ministers are expected to discuss the most urgent issues of the bilateral agenda as well as international issues, including the situation in Syria.

Before the talks Lavrov and Kerry took a walk in the yard of the Foreign Ministry’s mansion and after that continued their conversation in front of the fireplace inside the building.

US, Russia have similar positions on Syria settlement - Kerry

The US and Russia's interests regarding the settlement in Syria coincide, US Secretary of State John Kerry told President Vladimir Putin.

The U.S. administration believes that our interests regarding Syria largely coincide, he said. This is so because the U.S. and Russia are interested in stability in this region, Kerry said.

Kerry thanks Russia for cooperation on investigating Boston attacks

US Secretary of State John Kerry thanked Russia for cooperation the investigation of the terrorist attack in Boston.

When meeting President Vladimir Putin in London he stressed that now Russia and the US are facing a number of difficult tasks which settlement requires the same level of cooperation.

Kerry said he was happy that Russian and American experts are working together investigating the terrorist attack in Boston.

Obama would like to discuss cooperation on Iran, N.Korea, Syria with Putin - Kerry

U.S. President Barack Obama expects to discuss cooperation with Russia on Iran, North Korea and Syria at a meeting with President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the upcoming G8 summit in Northern Ireland.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said at a meeting with Putin in Moscow on Tuesday that Obama is looking forward to meeting with the Russian leader on the sidelines of the G8 summit in Northern Ireland.

At this meeting, the U.S. leader plans to say that there are a number of issues, including economic ones and those concerning North Korea, Iran, Syria and some others, on which the U.S. and Russia could cooperate, he said.

John Kerry’s visit to Moscow no ordinary event – scholar

The current visit to Moscow by the US State Secretary John Kerry is not an ordinary event. The main problem that Russia and the US are facing today is that of building more productive and mutually rewarding relations, the head of a Higher School of Economics Department, Maxim Bratersky, said in an interview with the Voice of Russia.

According to the expert, the basic problem of Russian-US relations lies in the fact that the two sides see their relations in the field of security through the prism of nuclear containment. Bratersky feels that the top priority now is to find a new basis for mutually advantageous cooperation.

US Secretary of State Kerry lays wreath at Red Square eternal flame

US Secretary of State John Kerry has laid a wreath at the Eternal Flame at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier near the Kremlin during his Moscow trip to mend ties with Russia.

The ribbons on the wreath bore an inscription glorifying the memory of the heroes who fell in battles fought for the common victory

After the wreath-laying ceremony, John Kerry met World War II veterans and inquired about where they fought during the war and how they live now.

He congratulated the vets on the Victory Day, which marks the victory of the Soviet Union over the Nazi Germany.