Kerry fails to secure Syria deal after another Russia meeting

[WASHINGTON] US Secretary of State John Kerry couldn't bridge differences with Russia over a possible cease-fire deal with Syria after another hour-long meeting with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Monday.

Later in the day, Mr Kerry was scheduled to leave Hangzhou, China, where he had joined President Barack Obama along with leaders of Russia and other members of the G-20, leaving open the question of when a deal might be reached.

Differences remain after Russian negotiators walked back on parts of the deal that the US thought had been agreed to earlier, according to a State Department official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the talks are private.

The attempt to forge a cease-fire is part of a broad effort to halt the fighting and create space for talks on a political transition in Syria, after a February cease-fire collapsed.

Backed by Russian warplanes, President Bashar al-Assad's forces have waged an air and ground campaign that has killed hundreds of thousands of people, sparked a humanitarian crisis and forced millions of Syrians to seek refuge in Europe.

BLOOMBERG