John Kerry to visit Russia for the first time since the Ukraine crisis

Relations between the countries remain tense; Vladimir Putin has not confirmed his presence

(Getty Images)

US Secretary of State John Kerry is set to visit Russia for the first time since US and Russian relations tumbled to their lowest levels since the end of the Cold War amid the crisis in Ukraine.

The State Department said that Mr Kerry will sit down on Tuesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Sochi, site of the 2014 Winter Olympics, according to the Associated Press.

But the meeting could be without one of its major participants, as the Kremlin has not confirmed that Mr Putin will attend.

“This trip is part of our ongoing effort to maintain direct lines of communication with senior Russian officials and to ensure U.S. views are clearly conveyed,” State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said in a statement.

Mr Kerry reportedly will be in Sochi to discuss the on-going conflicts in Ukraine and Syria, as well as the nuclear negotiations with Iran. This will be the secretary of state’s second trip to Russia, and the first since he visited Moscow in May 2013.

Dialogue between the two traditional powers fell off after Russia annexed the Ukrainian territory of Crimea in early 2014 and violence erupted in Ukraine. The West has long accused Russia of providing troops and material support to the pro-Russian rebels fighting in Ukraine, though Russia continues to deny these allegations.

The Western-backed Ukrainian government agreed a cease-fire with rebels in February, but violence has not stopped completely.

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