Talks between Lavrov and Kerry start in Moscow

The meeting of the Russian Foreign Minister and the US Secretary of State has started in Moscow.

During their 20th meeting this year they expect to discuss the situation in Syria, the settlement of the conflict in Ukraine and bilateral relations, TASS reports.

"We still have questions on this path which need to be solved in the context of further work in the International Syria Support Group," the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Sergei Lavrov, said opening the talks.

"Of course, we wanted to continue the conversation between our presidents about the US contribution to the settlement of the Ukrainian crisis," he added.

John Kerry stressed the need to move forward on the economic agenda in the dialogue with Russia. "As President Obama said in New York, there is nothing more important than to reach an agreement on Ukraine and move up on the economic agenda," Kerry said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will receive US State Secretary John Kerry after his talks with Lavrov.