Kerry presses Russian FM to meet Ukrainian counterpart

US Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday pressed Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to hold face-to-face talks with his counterpart from the new Ukrainian government on the Crimea crisis. Kerry, who has worked closely with Lavrov on Syria, made the appeal on the sidelines of an international meeting on Lebanon here. "Secretary Kerry had a brief pull aside discussion with Foreign Minister Lavrov after the larger sideline discussion they had with other foreign ministers," a senior State Department official said. "The Secretary urged direct talks between Russia and Ukraine. They will be meeting again in approximately an hour to continue their discussions."