US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov have routinely met in recent years to iron out a mutual approach to ending the Syrian conflict, but relations have soured recently [Xinhua]
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has downplayed hopes of a breakthrough on Syria when he meets his US counterpart John Kerry in Lausanne, Switzerland later on Saturday.
The two are meeting for the first time since their countries engaged in a war of words with each accusing the other of scuttling a ceasefire they both brokered in early September.
Russia lambasted a US-ally air raid which killed over 60 Syrian government troops about to attack an Islamic State position.
The US said the air raid was in error but not before some Russian political pundits accused Washington of aiding the Islamic State.
The US accused Russia and the Syrian government of increasing air strikes on the besieged city of Aleppo – as well as culpability for an attack on an aid convoy.
Washington broke off military cooperation with Moscow and the Russians pulled out of a mutual agreement on plutonium disposal.
Russia accused the US of being unwilling or unable to separate the Al Nusra front – which is affiliated with Al-Qaeda – from other ‘legitimate’ rebel groups.
Kerry has in previous weeks suggested that the Russian and Syria air raids on hospitals in Aleppo could amount to war crimes.
There are reports that Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Adel Al Jubeir, Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and UN Syria Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura will participate in the Lausanne talks.
Meanwhile, Russia’s UN ambassador Vitaly Churkin told CBS News that Moscow and Washington could still return to the September ceasefire agreement.
The BRICS Post with inputs from Agencies
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