US Secretary of State John Kerry will hold a meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov later Wednesday on the sidelines of a regional security meeting in Malaysia, a US diplomat said.

"Secretary Kerry will meet this evening in Kuala Lumpur with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to discuss a range of ‎issues of mutual concern. This will be a bilateral meeting," a senior State Department official told reporters travelling with Kerry.

Both envoys are currently attending a gathering hosted by the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

The pair last met in Doha on Monday alongside Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, where the ongoing civil war in Syria topped the agenda.

After that meeting, Lavrov hit out at an announcement by Washington that it was willing to take extra measures to defend US-allied fighters in Syria, describing the plan as "counter productive".