WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Earlier on Tuesday, Kerry announced he will travel to Moscow next week for discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the Syrian peace process.
“He is still going [to Cuba]. He was announced as a member of the delegation for the President. He still will go in the early part of next week to Cuba with the president, and then the trip to Moscow will take place afterward,” Kirby said.
Kerry made his last visit to Moscow in December 2015, when he held talks with Putin, as well as Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Russia’s relations with the United States deteriorated in early 2014 as Washington and its allies accused Moscow of meddling in the internal affairs of Ukraine after Crimea reunified with Russia via a popular referendum, and the crisis in eastern Ukraine escalated into a conflict.
Moscow has repeatedly refuted all allegations and warned that US and NATO expansion along Russia’s borders is provocative and contrary to previous agreements, as well as can affect regional and global stability.
Kerry Moscow Trip Not Tied to Russian Decision on Troops Pullout From Syria
The decision by US Secretary of State John Kerry to visit Moscow after completing his scheduled trip to Cuba was not influenced by Russia’s decision to pull out its air group from Syria, a US Department of State official told reporters on Tuesday.
"[Kerry's] trip to Moscow is not a result of Putin's [decision]" the official said. "This is a discussion he [Kerry] and Lavrov had been having for a while."
Earlier on Tuesday, the State Department announced that Kerry plans to travel to Moscow following his visit to Cuba as a member of the delegation of President Barack Obama that has been scheduled for March 21-22.
