US Secretary of State on 'challenging' moments' with Russia

High level talks between the US and Russia are going ahead as planned, two days after President Obama cancelled a meeting with President Putin.

US Secretary of State John Kerry and Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel are meeting their Russian counterparts, Sergei Lavrov and Sergei Shoigu in Washington.

In his opening comments, John Kerry said the US-Russian relationship had experienced some ''challenging'' moments.

''We will discuss these differences today, for certain,'' he said.