U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is due to meet Tuesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the resort city of Sochi, in Kerry's first visit to Russia since relations soured over sharp disagreements on Ukraine and Syria.
A Kremlin spokesman, Dmitri Peskov, has confirmed Mr. Putin's participation in the Sochi talks. He told Russia's Interfax news agency that international sanctions on Russia, linked to its involvement with separatists in eastern Ukraine, are not on Russia's agenda. But he said if the subject comes up, the Russian side will "express [its] position."
The State Department says Mr. Putin, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Kerry on Tuesday will discuss "a full range of bilateral and regional issues," as part of an ongoing effort to ensure that U.S. views are clearly conveyed.
A State Department spokeswoman says the talks also will focus on nuclear negotiations between Iran and six nations seeking a deal to contain Tehran's nuclear program.