John Kerry hopes for progress on Syria and Ukraine

US secretary of state John Kerry has voiced hope that Washington and Moscow could narrow their differences on Syria and Ukraine as he sat down for talks with Russian president Vladimir Putin.

Mr Kerry said he hoped the talks would be constructive and allow the nations to find a way to “rebuild and strengthen the relationship between the United States and Russia by proving that we know how to solve some serious problems together and building from there”.

Mr Kerry hailed a US- and Russian-brokered ceasefire in Syria, adding that it had allowed the Syrians “to taste and smell the possibilities of what it means to have a huge reduction in violence and to receive humanitarian assistance”.