Kerry arrived in Moscow on Tuesday for a meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov. After the talks the top diplomats are expected to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin as well.
The two high-ranking diplomats are expected to focus mainly on the issue of Syria, where the government is fighting a number of opposition forces and radical terrorist organizations, including Daesh, also known as ISIL/ISIS, and al-Nusra Front.
The talks between Sergey Lavrov and Secretary of State @JohnKerry take place in Moscow https://t.co/X9SbsYFRyQ
— MFA Russia (@mfa_russia) 15 декабря 2015
About 150 journalists showed up to cover the meeting of the two diplomats. It's a common occurrence for a bilateral meeting between Russian and the United States.
"Today I hope we can find some common ground. Spasibo," Kerry said during the meeting.
Although Kerry looked a bit tired following a long flight to Moscow, arriving during the early hours of Tuesday, he gave a welcome speech and expressed hope that his meeting with Lavrov would bring progress on many international issues, including Syria. While ending his speech, he thanked Lavrov in Russian, saying "Spasibo."
Russian journalists noticed a cat with a three-tone coat running around near the Russian Foreign Ministry before the meeting. According to a Russian superstition, it should bring good luck, journalists joked.
