DHAKA: US Secretary of State John Kerry began high stakes talks in the Russian resort of Sochi on Tuesday aimed at pushing President Vladimir Putin to fully implement a shaky Ukraine ceasefire.

Kerry met with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov ahead of talks with Putin in the Black Sea city at what a top US official said was ‘a critical moment’ for Ukraine, with Washington looking to ensure the ‘next steps in concrete implementation’ of the truce deal.

The top US diplomat also wanted to discuss the conflicts in Syria, Yemen and Libya as well as brief Putin on the state of the negotiations seeking to reach a potentially historic deal on curtailing Iran's nuclear program.

It is the highest-level trip by a US official to Russia since Kerry visited Moscow in May 2013, reports The Straits Times.

BDST: 1951 HRS, MAY 12, 2015
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