Volte–face on US-Russia meeting

Despite numerous declarations to the contrary, John Kerry, US Secretary of State, and Sergey Lavrov, the Foreign Minister of Russia, will meet on Thursday in Geneva.

John Kirby, a spokesman for the State Department told media that the meeting follows on from a recent diplomatic surge over the pursuit of a diplomatic deal in Syria:

Their discussion follows recent conversations on Syria and will focus on reducing violence, expanding humanitarian assistance for the Syrian people, and moving towards a political solution needed to end the civil war

Recently the State Department has been downplaying hopes of a meeting between the two foreign ministers, in reflection of American frustrations with the Russian support for the Assad regime and the lack of progress towards a deal.

Earlier on Thursday, Lavrov tweeted about his discussions with Kerry.

#Lavrov & @JohnKerry discussed cooperation in promoting political solution #Syria'n conflict https://t.co/Lhvi5dGKBc pic.twitter.com/JIkpP1LMo2

— MFA Russia (@mfa_russia) September 8, 2016

The two last met during the G20 summit in Hangzhou, China.