Kerry In Moscow For Crucial Syria Talks

By Katie Stallard, Moscow Correspondent

US Secretary of State John Kerry is in Moscow for crucial talks with President Putin on Syria.

Mr Kerry will first meet Vladimir Putin and then his Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov in what he has described as a "long overdue" visit to Russia, but which is being briefed by State Department officials as an attempt to shift Moscow's stance on the Assad regime.

Russia has vetoed three UN Security Council resolutions proposing sanctions on the regime and remains emphatically opposed to any suggestion of military intervention in the conflict.

A foreign ministry statement on Monday expressed concern at what Moscow said were signs that international public opinion was being prepared for the possibility of armed intervention and said it was examining reported Israeli air strikes near Damascus on May 3 and 5.

The spokesman warned that further military action in the country could destabilise the region, and drew attention to claims that Syrian rebel forces have used the nerve agent Sarin.

President Putin was re-elected a year ago

Vladimir Putin's spokesman told reporters on Monday that the president had spoken to Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu about events in Syria and the situation in the Middle East, but declined to reveal details of the call.

Mr Kerry's visit coincides with the first anniversary of President Putin's return to the Kremlin, in a year that has seen relations between the two strained on a number of fronts, not least US criticism of Russia's record on human rights.

A senior US State Department official told the AFP news agency there were signs Russia was prepared to engage in discussion over Syria but acknowledged there would be other issues on the agenda too.

The official said: "Our counterparts here have made clear they are ready to engage on Syria, but they have many issues they want to talk about."

A second official said: "It is a time to talk to the Russians to understand that, from our side, we remain committed (to a political solution) and if they are as well then we need to think about how to work operationally to make that happen.

Israel has played down reports of air attacks against Syria

"I don't know if we will get an agreement or not, but we certainly think it is worth testing and trying to find some ways forward."

Mr Kerry laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, a memorial by the Kremlin wall to the fallen soviet soldiers of World War II before his meeting with President Putin.

Sergei Markov, a former United Russia member of parliament, who is vice-chancellor of Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, told Sky News this was an opportunity to improve relations between the two.

He said: "At the moment Russian-American relations are very bad, but both presidents do want to improve the situation. This is a new stage.

"The fact that the secretary of state is meeting the president is not unusual - the secretary is a messenger of the president, so it is really is a dialogue between presidents."

Unverified video purportedly showing explosions in Damascus

But he warned the chances of a breakthrough on Syria were slim.

"There are very small chances to reach a deal on Syria because there are too many contradictions in their positions.

"Russia has military interests in Syria; it has a military base there and several arms contracts. The US seems to have found the only country with which we have a good relationship in the region - there are countries with a worse democratic record in the region - why doesn't the US meddle in their internal politics?

"Russia opposes the changing of regimes by force. If the US changes the regime in Syria, they might want to do the same with Iran, and then who is next, Belarus?  Russia doesn't want this."

Mr Kerry is also set to meet civil society activists at the US ambassador's residence in Moscow on Wednesday, to hear their concerns about democratic progress in Russia - a move which is unlikely to endear him to the government.

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