United States, Russia should work together: Kerry

Opening talks in Moscow with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov before seeing President Vladimir Putin, Kerry said the world benefits when great powers agree in their approaches to major crises. “Even when there have been differences between us, we have been able to work effectively on specific issues,” Kerry said as he began a series of what are expected to be difficult discussions in the Russian capital. “Today, I hope we can find some common ground.”

Not in agreement 

Russia and the U.S. are at odds over the mechanics of a political transition aimed at halting the war in Syria, as well as the military approach to fighting the Islamic State group. The results of Tuesday’s meetings will determine whether or not a new international diplomatic conference on Syria will go ahead as planned at the United Nations on Friday. On Ukraine, the two countries are split over the implementation of a February agreement meant to end hostilities between the Kiev government and Russian-backed separatists in the east. 

Ahead of his arrival, Russia’s foreign ministry said Moscow would be looking for a “revision” in U.S. policy “dividing terrorists into ‘bad’ and ‘good’ ones.”

The European Union will set no minimum on the number of Syrian refugees its member states are willing to take from Turkey in a resettlement scheme to be unveiled today, a senior EU official said. 

It will mention no number, the official said, in its plan for deserving cases to be flown directly from Turkey to the EU — an omission that could disappoint Turkish leaders. Nor will there be any system to send them to certain states — rather, EU countries can volunteer to take part in the scheme. Germany under Chancellor Angela Merkel has led efforts for an EU agreement on taking in substantial numbers of the 2.3 million Syrians now sheltering in Turkey as a way of cutting back on people risking their lives in chaotic migration by sea. But few other states have been as enthusiastic.