SOCHI, Russia -- Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Tuesday discussed closer Russia-U.S. cooperation on the Ukraine crisis, presidential aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters.
"The issue of Ukraine crisis is among the many topics of the meeting, while closer Russia-U.S. cooperation on the issue is under consideration," RIA Novosti news agency quoted Ushakov as saying.
Ushakov added that Russia called for the soonest start of direct dialogues between Kiev government and insurgents in eastern Ukraine.
Putin stressed that Moscow is committed to fully implementing the Minsk agreements signed in February.
Kerry arrived here Tuesday morning and first talked with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov before Putin joined them.
At a press conference held after the high-level talks, Lavrov said both sides agreed to influence conflicting parties in the Ukraine crisis to ensure a peaceful resolution.
Lamenting that the conflict in eastern Ukraine "continued for too long", Kerry urged all relevant parties to follow the provisions in the Minsk accords and make ceasefire, weaponry withdrawal and political dialogue a "genuine" reality.
