U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow next week for talks on Syria and Ukraine.
"They will discuss ongoing efforts to achieve a political transition in Syria," State Department spokesman Mark Toner said on December 11.
Kerry will also meet his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov.
The United States and Russia, which are key sponsors of the international bid to mediate an end to the Syria war, have different approaches to finding a political solution to the conflict and to the fight against the Islamic State group.
At his meetings with Putin and Lavrov, the U.S. envoy will also bring up the ongoing stand-off in eastern Ukraine, where Moscow is accused of supporting separatists.