Sochi, Russia--Russia and the United States vowed to improve strained ties Tuesday after "frank" talks between President Vladimir Putin and top US diplomat John Kerry, but there was no concrete breakthrough after eight hours of meetings.
Kerry's trip to the Black Sea resort of Sochi was the highest level US visit to Russia since the Ukraine crisis erupted in late 2013.
And while there were no tangible agreements, there was a marked change in the tone between the two long-time wary foes who for months have traded barbs and accusations.
"Today's meetings allowed us to better understand each other," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters after meeting Kerry for four hours to discuss Ukraine, Syria and Iran, among other issues.
A post on Kerry's Twitter account called the meeting with Putin "frank" and "productive" before he headed to Turkey for key talks with NATO foreign ministers on Wednesday.
"There is no substitute for talking directly to key decision makers, particularly during a period that is as complex and fast-moving as this is," Kerry said after separate talks with Putin which also lasted four hours.
He and Lavrov both pledged at a joint press conference that Moscow and Washington would continue dialogue to try to resolve their differences.
Ties between Moscow and Washington were shredded when Russia seized the southern Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea in early 2014 and allegedly buttressed separatists in eastern Ukraine.
Kerry visited Sochi after President Barack Obama snubbed Russia's huge military parade to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany last week, in what was seen as punishment over Russia's meddling in Ukraine.
AFP
