US Secretary of State John Kerry is expected to visit the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi for talks on Tuesday amid tensions with Moscow over the Ukraine crisis

US Secretary of State John Kerry is expected to visit the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi for talks on Tuesday amid tensions with Moscow over the Ukraine crisis, a Russian official said.
  
"His visit is expected," an official told AFP on condition of anonymity ahead of an announcement by the foreign ministry. The foreign ministry declined to comment, only saying it would release an official statement at a later point.
  
Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to spend this week at his summer residence in Sochi.
  
Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov told AFP he could not immediately say whether the Russian president would host Kerry for talks.
  
Separately, the state RIA Novosti news agency, quoting a diplomatic source, said Kerry and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov were set to discuss the Ukraine crisis as well as Syria, Iran and Yemen.
  
"He cancelled his visit many times and finally decided to come. This will not be a breakthrough meeting but it is very important." The source added that the US diplomat's upcoming talks in Sochi was a sign that Russia was open to cooperation.