US Special Envoy for Syria to Meet Russian Deputy Foreign Minister

US State Department spokesperson John Kirby announced that US new Special Envoy for Syria Michael Ratney will meet with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov to discuss the Syrian crisis on Friday.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — US new Special Envoy for Syria Michael Ratney will meet with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov to discuss the Syrian crisis on Friday, US State Department spokesperson John Kirby said on Thursday.

“In Russia, he [Ratney] will meet with Deputy Foreign Minister Bogdanov and other officials at the Russian foreign Ministry and Security Council,” Kirby told journalists.

Kirby announced Ratney would travel from August 28 to September 2 to Moscow, Riyadh and Geneva, to continue talks on bringing an end to the Syrian conflict.

“He [Ratney] plans to meet in Geneva with UN Special Envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura to discuss his ongoing efforts to create conditions for productive negotiations,” Kirby added.

The special envoy’s trip follows US Secretary John Kerry’s meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov and Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Jubeir in Doha and Kuala Lumpur earlier in August.

Syria has been in the state of a civil war since a 2011 political collapse. Government forces have been fighting on multiple fronts against opposition forces and numerous extremist militant groups, including ISIL and Nusra Front.

According to the most recent UN estimates, the death toll from the Syrian conflict is at least 250,000, including civilians, rebels and government forces.