Russia assumes Lavrov, Kerry to meet in Geneva on Syria on Sept. 8-9

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (L) and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attend a news conference after a meeting on Syria in Geneva, Switzerland, August 26, 2016. REUTERS/Pierre Albouy

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's Foreign Ministry said on Thursday it assumed that a planned meeting between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in Geneva on Sept. 8-9 would be held, despite a lack of confirmation from the U.S. side. "The details and the format (of the meeting) are now being confirmed. We proceed from the fact that agreement (on holding the talks) has been reached," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told a news briefing. The U.S. State Department on Wednesday did not confirm the meeting between Kerry and Lavrov in Geneva on Thursday to try to forge a ceasefire deal on Syria, suggesting the sides had not resolved differences on ending the violence in the five-year conflict. (Reporting by Dmitry Solovyov; Editing by Maria Kiselyova)