MOSCOW- Secretary of State John Kerry met Thursday with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov and with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the crises in Ukraine and Syria.
Kerry said before his talks with Lavrov that “many people” are hopeful that the talks in Moscow can help bring the conflict in Syria to an end as fast as possible. He also said he hoped for cooperation from Russia in dealing with other conflicts, namely those in Yemen and Libya and the Middle East peace process.
Kerry noted that the partial truce in Syria has produced “some progress,” saying there has been a “fragile, nevertheless beneficial, reduction in violence.”
Kerry is expected to seek answers from Russia on where it stands on a political transition for Syria.

‘A moment to seize’

On Syria, the official said Kerry wants to hear how Putin and Lavrov view the current status of efforts towards a political transition away from the leadership of Bashar al-Assad.
The official made clear that the U.S. position remains that Assad must step down in order for there to be a viable path to peace after five years of bloodshed in Syria.
This is the first high-level, in-person meeting between U.S. and Russian officials since Moscow announced a partial withdrawal of Russian forces from Syria last week. In announcing the trip, Kerry said: “We have reached a very important stage in this process. This is a moment to seize, not waste.”
The senior State Department official said now that the cessation of hostilities in Syria is going better than many expected, and since Russia is reducing its “footprint” in Syria, Kerry wants the U.S. and Russia to move forward on a political transition there. Putin has had recent conversations with Assad, the official said, and is likely to have a sense of where the process stands.

Ukraine fighting

On Ukraine, the senior State Department official told reporters President Barack Obama and Kerry are concerned by the recent sharp increase in violations of the cease-fire, and want to see all elements of the Minsk Agreements implemented this year.
The agreements represent a package of measures meant to reduce the ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine. They also authorize the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) access to monitor and verify the cease-fire and the withdrawal of heavy weapons from the separatist-controlled side of eastern Ukraine.

Nadiya Savchenko release

The senior State Department official told reporters Kerry will definitely raise the issue of the jailed Ukrainian pilot Nadiya Savchenko.
Savchenko was sentenced Tuesday by a Russian court to 22 years of imprisonment. The pilot was taken hostage by Russia in 2014 and has been on a hunger strike since early March to protest the Russian criminal case against her. The State Department said it is extremely concerned about her sentence because her health is imperiled. She has reportedly endured interrogation, solitary confinement and forced “psychiatric evaluation.” Kerry will again call on Russia to immediately release Savchenko and other unlawfully detained people.

Source: REUTERS, March 24