ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – US Secretary of State John Kerry will discuss the crisis in Syria with Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on Saturday, as the ferocious Russian-Syrian bombing of the Syrian city of Aleppo continues.
US State Department spokesperson John Kirby told reporters on Wednesday that Kerry and Lavrov will be meeting in in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Meanwhile, White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters on Wednesday that “some Russian participation” would be needed to control the raging Syrian crisis.
"We are certainly working through a variety of diplomatic channels to try to reduce the violence inside of Syria, and that's necessarily going to include some Russian participation," he said.
The US, Earnest argued, will not seek to restart negotiations on coordinating militarily with the Russians against militant Islamist groups since Moscow has "lost the credibility" needed to negotiate such an agreement in good faith.
The US State Department said Kerry called for the meeting, but did not specify which foreign ministers, aside from Lavrov, have been invited.
This will be the first time Kerry meets Lavrov since he suspended talks between them last week, after Russia gave its full support to the Syrian regime’s current campaign in Aleppo.
Russia and Syria deny that they have targeted civilians in their Aleppo bombings. The US and France insist that they may be guilty of war crimes, given the destruction of hospitals in their airstrikes.
Reuters reported that the resumption of talks shows a lack of options facing Western nations over the Syrian conflict.
It added that the Western nations are reluctant to supply more arms to moderate rebels in Aleppo to defend against the Russian-Syrian attacks since they worry those arms could end up in the hands of jihadi groups.
US State Department spokesperson John Kirby told reporters on Wednesday that Kerry and Lavrov will be meeting in in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Meanwhile, White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters on Wednesday that “some Russian participation” would be needed to control the raging Syrian crisis.
"We are certainly working through a variety of diplomatic channels to try to reduce the violence inside of Syria, and that's necessarily going to include some Russian participation," he said.
The US, Earnest argued, will not seek to restart negotiations on coordinating militarily with the Russians against militant Islamist groups since Moscow has "lost the credibility" needed to negotiate such an agreement in good faith.
The US State Department said Kerry called for the meeting, but did not specify which foreign ministers, aside from Lavrov, have been invited.
This will be the first time Kerry meets Lavrov since he suspended talks between them last week, after Russia gave its full support to the Syrian regime’s current campaign in Aleppo.
Russia and Syria deny that they have targeted civilians in their Aleppo bombings. The US and France insist that they may be guilty of war crimes, given the destruction of hospitals in their airstrikes.
Reuters reported that the resumption of talks shows a lack of options facing Western nations over the Syrian conflict.
It added that the Western nations are reluctant to supply more arms to moderate rebels in Aleppo to defend against the Russian-Syrian attacks since they worry those arms could end up in the hands of jihadi groups.
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