Lavrov meets with UN special envoy on Syria in Geneva

In Washington, State Department spokesman Mark Toner confirmed that Kerry and Lavrov had spoken by telephone for 45 minutes but would not say whether they had agreed to meet again as soon as Thursday. “The secretary remains committed to continuing efforts to try and resolve the outstanding issues in order to reach an arrangement on Syria. but we won’t agree to an arrangement that does not meet our core objectives”.

Who should be allowed to fight in Syria: Russia believes that only the Syrian regime and its supporters, including Iran and Russia itself have a legitimate reason to be carrying out airstrikes – Russia because it has been invited to participate by the Assad regime.

The previous time they met was in Geneva on August 26. Speaking at the G20 Summit, Obama said that talks have been complicated as “gaps of trust” exist between Moscow and Washington. Russian Federation is insisting that opposition forces be separated from the militants.

State department officials would not comment on the change of mind, and it was not clear whether the differences had been fully resolved or Kerry had decided his presence in Switzerland would help clinch a final deal.

The two men had been hoping to announce a deal at the G20 in China on Monday, but the agreement collapsed in acrimony after the U.S. reportedly accused Russian Federation of reneging on its previous commitments. On BBC radio today, Secretary of Defense Ash Carter pointed to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its aggressive behavior around Europe as just two examples of why these forces don’t get along.

On the phone on Thursday, the two leaders discussed Turkish-Russia bilateral relations as well as the latest developments in Syria, said presidential sources, speaking on condition of anonymity due to restrictions of speaking to the media.

The US pressed Russian Federation on Thursday for a “true cessation of hostilities” in Syria ahead of high-level peace talks Friday in Geneva, warning that its patience is running thin. It also may have underscored the U.S.’s complaint that Russian Federation had backtracked on earlier steps toward an agreement.