lavrov said that he wanted to hear about what's going to happen next in ukraine. he wanted at some point they would discuss the sanctions, the easing of the sanctions. that has been biting the economy here. so for russia these two go hand to hand. once this has finished behind closed doors, they will head later on in the afternoon to the kremlin. john kerry will need with vladimir putin and then both men will hold a press sorry - sorry, lavrov and kerry will hold a press conference. we will know then if there is a break through >>> thank you. james, mr invoice stroi putting out a-- staffan de mistura putting out a paper talking about a common vision. have they made real progress as this round of talks draws to a close? >> reporter: not on the very big issues. what staffan de mistura calls the mother of all issues, political transition. that's why, i think, mr staffan de mistura earlier this week said to me "i always need the help of mr lavrov and mr kerry because they are the architects of this process, the guarantors of the process", and the only people that can

he told lavrov the current pause in fighting isn't enough. >> many people are very hopeful, sergei, our counterparts, our hopeful that these meetings here in moscow here today have an ability to be able to further define and chart the road ahead so that we can bring this conflict in syria to a close, as fast as possible. >>> and in syrian today russian air strikes have helped syrian government forces re-enter the ancient city of palmyra. hoda abdel hamid has more. >> reporter: the russians have been saying that they were carrying out air strikes in and around palmyra, we also saw on russian television reporters reporting from the hills surrounding palmyra. they have been announcing for a few days that soon the syrian government forces will be able to enter palmyra. now that news broke out to us a few hours ago. however, it is very possible that when john kerry met with sergei lavrov earlier today, they -- the two men already knew that piece of information. probably john kerry would want -- would want to see more involvement from the russians in the sense they would like to see russia pu

he is pressing sergei lavrov during a meeting in moscow. he is also expected to discuss the future of president assad during talks later with president putin. hoda abdel hamid is following the story there. how much can he press the russians when it comes to this political transition in syria? >> reporter: well, we still don't have any details about what happened during that meeting. if not for the words of the spokeswoman of the foreign ministry, and she just said it was a very long meeting that lasted about four hours. she said they went through details about a transitional goc government. details about a new constitution, but she did say in the end all of the details will emerge, once the two men, john kerry, and sergei lavrov will hold a press conference. that should happen in a couple of hours. in the meantime they are heading to the kremlin where there is a meeting with vladimir putin. but john kerry is seeking for russia to put pressure on the government in syria, for the government to tackle seriously the core issue of these geneva t

however, it is very possible that when john kerry met with sergei lavrov earlier today, they -- these two men already new that piece of information. probably john kerry would want -- would want to see more involvement from the russians in the sense they would like to see russian put its weight again, putting pressure on president bashar al-assad. >> hoda abdel hamid in moscow there for us. courtney kealy joins us live to break this down a little bit more on the talks. who has the upper hand? >> i would say russia. russia has had the upper hand for quite a while now. they really do help negotiate anything that bashar al-assad is willing to do. they have had the military on the ground. they are still backing syria with air strikes in palmyra right now with air support. secretary of state john kerry has the patience of a saint. he is going back and forth. he is -- i mean to be a fly on the wall would be interesting, but it would be long. >> uh-huh. >> they both need each other. russia and the u.s. are really the only two countries that will be able to help continue to try to find peace i

probably we've got an answer for that from the words of lavrov. he said that now tackling the very difficult issue of the political transition, the transitional government, should be the immediate priority in the geneva talks. he also said that inter syrian dialogue is very important at this stage too. so far there hasn't been any direct talks between the government delegation and the opposition. now it seems that russia does agree that that has to happen >>> the iraqi army says it has begun an offensive against i.s.i.l. in mosul. it is part of a wider plan to take the province of ninevah. they have been trying to cut i.s.i.l. supply lines. it is the first phase to retake mosul which fell to i.s.i.l. in june 2014. egypt has released images of personal items which belonged to a murdered italian student. a bag with his student id and passport was found during a raid on a gang which had been posing as officers. his body was found with signs of torture after he disappeared in january. he had written articles critical of the egyptian government. time f

are there details coming out of his meeting with lavrov about what that exactly means? >> not yet, and i don't think there will be any details until much later on in the day after actually john kerry and sergey lavrov head to the kremlin to meet with vladimir putin and then they will hold their press conference. one can imagine what they're talking about. the geneva talks have reached some sort of a stumbling block at this point. the u.n. envoy, staffan de mistura complaining about the fact that the syrian delegation, the government delegation procrastinating, not want be to tackle the core issue of these talks, which is how about this interim government, how are we going to set up this transitional government that will actually after that lead to new elections and obviously a stumbling block being the future of bashar al assad himself. now, when it comes to the two sides, u.s. and russia, well, they do agree on the need of a transitional government. they do agree onhe fact that the new syria that will emerge should be secular and unified. they don't see eye to eye on t

we got an answer from that from the words of lavrov. he said that now tackling the very difficult issue of the political transition, a transitional government should be the immediate priority aimed at geneva talks. he also said that interest in syrian dialogue is important at this stage too t so far there hasn't been any direct talks between the government delegation and the opposition. now it seems that russia does agree that that has to happen as soon as possible and it does agree also that discussing the entering government, discussing the transitional government that would then lead to elections in 2017 should be the priority at the geneva talks, something that staffan de mistura, the u.n. envoy staffan de mistura for syria, had been calling for and had expressed some level of frustration at the fact that maybe the syrian government delegation was not tackling that issue. it was more talking about modalities and principles rather than really tackling the core issue about how to bring about this transition >>> thank you for that. isr

tell us what has come out of that meeting between sergei lavrov and john kerry, hoda. >> reporter: we still don't have much details except for the words of the spokeswoman of the foreign ministry who said it was a very long meeting, one that lasted about four hours, in which they did discuss syria, and she underlined they discussed ukraine and north africa, and it's all we know at this stage. except also we know one more detail is it was the birthday of sergei lavrov on monday, and john kerry wished him happy birthday. other than that, both men are now heading towards the kremlin. they should be meeting with vladimir putin very shortly and after that, they will hold a press conference, and that's why we don't have much detail so far, the spokeswoman did say she was not going to elaborate on that long meeting, but she said that also she can say is that they went through the details about how to come to this -- how to bring about this transitional government. they talked about the constitution, and again, how to make sure that the syrian government delegation stops procrastinati procras

secretary of state john kerry and his russian counter part sergei lavrov. it's clear that i think they're doing a bit of arm twisting because they want something from secretary kerry. i can't tell you what that something is. clearly i think there is something behind the scenes, a concession they're trying to get from the u.s. side. i think also after that russian military pullout that they're announced and started in syria, maybe this is a signal to the assad regime we're not abandoning you all together. >> and our diplomatic editor james bays there in geneva. twitter turned ten years old today. a tech giant that struggles to lead an industry that it helped to pioneer. >> a group of millionaires has written to governor andrew cuomo asking him to raise taxes on the state's wealthiest residents to help with the poor and aging infrastructure. they had plans to increase taxes on millionaires, but the republican controlled senate opposes that idea. > today marks the major milestone for today's popular social media site. it was ten years ago that the first-ever t

steinmeyer -- steinmeier met with their gay lab rob, discussing -- met with sergey lavrov, and they were also talking about the fate of nadiya savchenko. the minsk cease-fire agreement contains a phrase about soldiers, but relations between kiev and moscow are at rock-bottom, and savchenko's conviction could prove to be a diplomatic nightmare for both nations. reporter: she is hailed as a hero. the government says they will do all they can to free her. the court sentenced her to 22 years in prison. within minutes of the announcement, a message from the president left janco -- president lepchenko appeared. they were detained in 2015. soldiers from both sides are frequently captured by the opposition along the ukrainian front. last year, the red cross was able to visit more than 600 detainees from pro-russian separatist areas. they were denied access to soldiers in jails run by the rebels. meanwhile, the gradual process of prisoner exchange is underway. last week, the ukrainian soldier and two other prisoners were freed after hundreds of days jailed by pro-russian rebels. >> it was a night

john kerry believes peace talks could decide the issues in syria >>> he talked spo lavrov asking for the issue to continue. they have given the negotiators time to fine common ground >> we're continuing these proximity talk. it was the government side that was here 24 hours ago although there were in the afternoon some other inviteees from the opposition who are not walmart of the main opposition block and in the coming hours it is the main opposition back here at the talks. in many ways it's not just that meeting that's important because if you remember, some of the key issues are not being dealt with in the main talks. they're being dealt with by two separate task forces that are being set up. i think here those task forces, there will be fresh pressure on the syrian government. not only are they feeling the pressure because of the russian pull out but you have to cessation of hostilities two and a half weeks on that has been going. you will hear consistent comments now coming from western diplomats that the main violator is the kirn government. there has been a reduction of about

president putin and foreign minister lavrov. is so important because they are hoping de de mistura will give the russians a push. >> as james just said john kerry is in russia. his visit comes as a the sear general opposition says there is no hope of peace in syria without russian leverage on the government. both kerry and putina praised their countries helping to bring about the end to hostilities. kerry met his russian counterpart sergei lavrov and called for unity in the fight against isil saying the attacks in brussels. >>> forcing their way for palma roo. isil fighters took it in may last year and its recapture would be a significant victory for president assad's forces. mohamed jamjoon reports. >> reporter: the pictures broadcast on syrian state television are said to show a significant advance. syrian government troops fighting to retake historic palmyra from isil. state media also showed war plainplanes and helicopters helg overhead as soldier soldiers apd on the ground. fighting continued outside the city on thursday af

invoice stroi has had a meeting between john kerry and lavrov which could be crucial in reaching a meaningful deal. >> reporter: at the end of the first week of these talks a meeting between u.n. special ininvoice and the head of syrian government delegation ambassador. staffan de mistura has said he wants to get down to the key issue of political transition. when he spoke to reporters, at ambassador says r said he focused on principles that should govern the process. he did not take any questions. the main opposition block, the high negotiations committee, were holding an event to commemorate the anniversary of the start of the war. they feel the government delegation led by the ambassador is not even empowered to discuss these issues. they believe he is just here to delay and disrupt things. >> he is not a decision there. we need a higher rank team that negotiate with us, a team that can make a decision right here in geneva because we can make a decision on behalf of all people. >> reporter: special envoy staffan de mistura says the fact that the caucus have not collapseed and there were no

lavrov, not much has transpired so far about what moscow and mr. putin, specifically, he is the plain decision maker, whether they are going to push forward with some pressure on assad to where negotiate seriously about political transition. >> are we turning the tide in syria? stay with up. it's "inside story." >> [chanting] yes we can! >> an historic election. >> you and i, we're going to change this county, and we will change the world. >> monumental decisions. >> mr. president, there's a one and three chance of a second great depression. >> first-hand accounts from the people who were there. >> their opinion was shocking. >> the challenges. >> he said, "i am president of the united states and i can't make anything happen." >> the realities. >> he stood up and said, "that's it, i'm finished." >> welcome back to "inside story." we're talking about the situation unfolding in syria and the possibility of peace talks leading to permanent ceasefire. i'm talking to rhonda swim and kurt voal kerr. there was a surprising move by the russians to draw dow

envoy staffan de mistura set a meeting between kerry and lavrov could be crucial to secure a meaningful deal. james bays is in switzerland. >> reporter: at the end of the first week of these talks, a meeting between the u.n. special envoy and the head of the syrian government delegation ambassador. staffan de mistura has said he wants to get down to the key issue of political transition. when he spoke to reporters, ambassador made a statement saying he had focused on overall principles that should govern the process. >> thank you so much >> reporter: he did not take any questions. the main opposition block, the high negotiations committee, were holding an event to come memorandum or rate-- on the anniversary of the five-year war. the issues are not empowered and people believe they are here to delay. >> he doesn't have a decision there. we need a higher rank team that negotiates with us, a team that can make a decision right here in jooeven abecause we can make a decision on behalf of all people. >> reporter: special envoy, staffan de mistura, says the fact that talks were not collapsee

he spoke to lavrov on the phone and spoke maintaining the truce >>> while the opposition continues to engage in those talks, questions remain about its future. in the last five years dozens of armed groups and political fronts have been formed. so far they haven't been able to achieve the democratic transition they originally set out for. >> reporter: they want to carry from these areas to homs. gains have been reversed in recent years. fighters have fled from homs, what was once their strong hold. raqqa is now the capital of the islamic state in iraq and the levant. syrian opposition groups say the lack of will to removed bashar al-assad including the united states contributed to their losses. the strongest groups fighting in syria are the ones that have pledged allegiance to i.s.i.l. or al-qaeda. many soldiers and officers deeffected early on, but the creation of the opposition free syrian army had limited success to responding to the government's brutal actions. more organized grouped like al-nusra were able to take large parts from government forces, but dozens of other groups hav

john kerry spoke to lavrov on the phone and emphasised the importance of maintaining the limited truce. their latest call took place as representatives of the syrian government and main opposition attend talks in geneva. our diplomatic james bays to join us. set the scene and tell us what's expected later on thursday? >> reporter: we're continuing these proximity talks. so it was the government side that was here 24 hours ago, although there were in the afternoon here some other invite ees from the opposition who are not part of the main opposition block, but in the main hours it is the main opposition block who are back here for the talks. it's not just that meeting that is important, because if you remember some of the key issues, not being dealt with in the main talks, they're being dealt with by two separate task forces that have been set up. i think here those task fors in the next hour or so thereby fresh pressure on the syrian government. not only is the syrian government feeling the pressure because of that pull out, but you have the esation of hostilities that has-- - cessatio

the coming hours, the meeting between the russians, vladimir putin, and his foreign minister sergei lavrov and secretary of state john kerry will be so important. >> the israeli military has cut access to the west bank. it the closure will continue until midnight saturday. authorities say exceptions will be made for humanitarian and medical cases. israel believe palestinian attacks are more likely during the jewish holidays. a british judge has decided that a london based trader who is accused of contributing to the u.s. wall street crash should be extr extradited to the u.s. authorities say that they would scoop markets and let a trillion dollars be wiped from the dow jones in 2010. he's facing 22 charges of fraud and market manipulation. >>> in south africa police are reported to have launcheed a you corruption investigation into the president's son and the powerful gupta family. a south africa radio station said that the investigation of his son follows a contemplate made by the opposition party the democratic alliance. three years ago underground water reserves were discovered in one o

lavrov, not much has transpired so far about what moscow and mr. putin, specifically, he is the plain decision maker, whether they are going to push forward with some pressure on assad to where negotiate seriously about political transition. >> are we turning the tide in syria? stay with up. it's "inside story." >> al jazeera america - proud of telling your stories. >> i wanted to dance, and eventually i started leaving the gangs in the street alone. >> we're pushing the envelope with out science every day, we can save species. >> i'm walking you guys! >> all i wanted to see was her walk. it was amazing. >> these were emotions that i had been dreaming about for so long. >> getting to the heart of the matter. proud to tell your stories. al jazeera america. >> welcome back to "inside story." we're talking about the situation unfolding in syria and the possibility of peace talks leading to permanent ceasefire. i'm talking to rhonda swim and kurt voal kerr. there was a surprising move by the russians to draw down some of their air force sent into syria

. >> we always need some help from mr kerry and mr lavrov because they've been proving in the past, and i hope in the future they prove it, that when they have a common understanding it helps enormously the process. >> reporter: it's clear from what we're hearing from officials and diplomats that the opposition certainly do have plans unlike the government that they're putting forward on the future of syria. staffan de mistura put to both sides a questionnaire, 29 questions, about political transition in syria. my understanding is so far the government have not given in their questionnaire. the opposition, though, have, but i've managed to read that document. what's clear to he is that they don't want to fall into the mistakes that were made when sudam hussein was forced from power by the u.s. they want to keep a lot of syrian government in place, removing just key individuals and keeping much of the existing government in damascus in place. the only exception is the security sector and it's clear there that they want their new governing body to have a chairman who will take the role in

lavrov, not much has transpired so far about what moscow and mr. putin, specifically, he is the plain decision maker, whether they are going to push forward with some pressure on assad to where negotiate seriously about political transition. >> are we turning the tide in syria? stay with up. it's "inside story." >> the only live national news show at 11:00 eastern. >> we start with breaking news. >> let's take a closer look. >> welcome back to "inside story." we're talking about the situation unfolding in syria and the possibility of peace talks leading to permanent ceasefire. i'm talking to rhonda swim and kurt voal kerr. there was a surprising move by the russians to draw down some of their air force sent into syria and participating in a bombing campaign throughout syria. why did the russians do that, it took everybody by surprise, we're not expecting putin the do this. >> we don't know what that means just because they said it, we don't know what they mean in practice. they wanted to bolster the assad regime, the assad regime was on its heels.

the kremlin, they changed their language in some of the communiques to bring it into line with what lavrov was saying. mr putin gets a seat at the big table. how does that need into the peace process? >> at the end of the day there is cooperation. there is russian-american cooperation on the ground. we were both on air on that day when it was announced the cessation of hostilities. he was announcing it from jordan, a country which was supposed to put the list of terrorist groups in syria. there is some sort of agreement between the russians and the americans. you talk to anyone in the open silgs and they will tell you they are worried and that the world has abandoned them. no doubt we are at least over the past five years many turning points, but this is different. we've seen military gains on the ground as well as a real push by the international community to try to find some sort of political settlement in syria >>> thank you. three refugees have died wading across the river trying to get into macedonia. hundreds made the attempt and many of them are being held by the police there. the g

the coming hours, the meeting between the russians, vladimir putin, and his foreign minister sergei lavrov, and the u.s. secretary of state, john kerry who is starting a trip to moscow will be so important. >>> hundreds of syrian refugees are still arriving in greece every day. the u.n. refugee agency says the refugee camps have become detention centers and is no longer prepared to work there. >> reporter: for weary refugees arriving in greece, the blue tabs of the united nations have been a welcome sight. staff have been guiding people to the camps, which have become known as hot spots. not anymore. >> under the new provisions, these so-called hot spots have now become detention facilities, so with line with our policy, we have suspended some of our activities at all of these closed centers on the island. >> reporter: they say the deal when the e.u. and turkey which is meant to stop the flow of refugees through europe is being prematurely implemented and without proper safeguards. the new arrivals are meant to be able to apply for asylum, but it also means people are confined to the camps

here, because if you have the united states literally using the same words, the same language that lavrov has used two to four weeks beforehand in communiques between the kremlin, i'm still at a loss to understand what else you want other parties, other players, to do because russia, if russia hadn't done what they have done over the past six months, the conflict would have been in a completely different direction. >> i think that part of the problem that we've highlighted is that there has been these commitments for the last two years between russia, the u.s., the permanent members of the security council, so as you say, the statements all point in the right direction. there should have been already an alleviation of humanitarian situation in syrian progress towards a political solution, but they've actually undermined that through their actions, arming their allies given them political military support and encouraging them to carry on with the conflict. it is that which needs - that's what needs to change so not just the rhetorical commitments that the security council in geneva, but st

he was expecting some substantial progress at the end of today, that after he met his meeting with lavrov and then later on in the afternoon, both men will head to the kremlin and kerry will have the meeting there with vut vladimir putin. it is only after that, that there will be a press conference and we will find out what exactly has been agreed upon >>> thanks very much for that. the u.n. court is due to deliver a verdict on the former leader of bosnian serbs. >> reporter: it is not so long ago that a european capital city echoed to the sounds of war. in the countryside people were herded into camps. in one town thousands of men and boys were massacred. they're still digging up bones today. this man, president of the bosnian serbs in the early 90s is accused of responsibility for these crimes, the siege of sarajevo, ethnic cleansing, a massacre. a psychiatrist, poet, ecologist, the role of war time leader didn't always seem a nature fit. after the war he disappeared. nato forces alonged for him all over bosnia, but he was in neighboring serbia, not hiding in secret but sgifd in public

at a joint press conference, sergey lavrov said there is a main stumbling block in eastern ukraine. beenthan 9100 people have killed, with large portions of land under rebel control. gone -- the -- the tester finds flaws in the f-35. they say they are onhe right track. powered by our 2400 journalists in more than 150 news bureaus around the world. i am mark crumpton. david? looking at some of the day's big movers, oil has plunged. strong u.s. crude oil, coupled with throughput only intensified record domestic oversupply. oil dragged copper down, $2.24 a pound, and gold futures the lowest in almost a month. investors were not as keen. the dollar was strengthened, and james bullard says policymakers should consider raising interest rates at their next meeting. he made that comment during an exclusive interview with bloomberg this morning, and he said they depend on progress and data. i want to get out of the game of how many rate increases this year, and we will take a reasonable policy that will get inflation that to target and get the economy on a good recovery path. now a professor

. >> this is coming from the russian foreign minister sergey lavrov. it is interesting that is coming hours before the talks are supposed to start, saying the y.p.g. should be here and should be invited to the talks. this has been a problem for sometime. last time everyone gathered here a few weeks ago, this was an issue. russia saying they should be part, russia saying they should not be invited to the talks. currently they don't have an invitation and the invitees last time when people gathered here in geneva, but when i pressed staffan de mistura on this issue in a recent interview, he said it is a subject that will be revisited later. >> all right, thanks so much. our diplomatic editor james bays. >>> five years of war in syria has left the country literally in ruins. a truce is in place, but airstrikes and fighting continue and thousands of syrians are starving. the u.n. estimates that more than 250,000 people have been killed since the start of the war, but it stopped counting back in 2014, so the syrian observatory for human rights for example s

and asked his foreign minister sergey lavrov to intensify the russian role in the peace process. a lot of questions b at this stage because russia has been absolutely key, the trump card in many ways for assad regime as we come very close to the fifth anniversary of the war in syria. russia played a ski role particularly in new york at the u.n. security council. those vetoes that russia cost back by china very important for the assad regime and then the big game change are and that was in september last year as world leaders were gathering. russia sent in their military support, sood was o assad was ok burner. russia has achieved a change of the balance of power on the ground in syria certainly boosted assad and in fact boosted russia, an outcast, back at the international tom -- top table. what's not clear is why is president putin doing this now? has he just decide that he's done enough to hypothesis president assad and the odds are stacked in his favor, and they can lock in the games militarily or is it something bigger? is he thinking it is time to change horses and no longer

and we'll see whether kerry and lavrov can come to an understanding in this period here. >> so the talks resume tomorrow. joshua, director at the center of middle east studies, thank you for joining us. >> it's a pleasure >>> donald trump has, perhaps, redefined the way political campaigns are run in america. >> so if you see someone getting ready to throw a tomato, knock the crap out of them would you, seriously. >> next, trump... >> i promise i will pay for the legal fees. >>> trump's apparent appeal to some racist. the topic of "the week ahead". complz >> our american story is written everyday. it's not always pretty, but it's real... and we show you like no-one else can. this is our american story. this is america tonight. >>> welcome back to al jazeera america, here is a look at the top stories, turkish government officials blame turkish militants for a car bomb explosion that killed 34 in ankara, 125 more were wounded in an attack at a crowded bus station. the pro-kurdish political party condemned the deadly bombing. gunmen shot and killed 14 people on sunday. the attackers apparen

. >>> russian foreign minister sergey lavrov and the u.s. secretary of state, john kerry, say they are optimistic about the cease-fire in syria. robert amsterdam is an international lawyer with amsterdam & partners. why should we be optimistic about this cease-fire agreement when you still havections on thd in syria that probably won't be putting their weapons down. >> i'm not sure we should be optimistic. i think this is a difficult moment. the fact is the russians have not stopped bombing. they have a list of groups they feel they can deal with with impunity. this may, in fact, weaken the situation relative to turkey and that could escalate matters. i don't think there's a large cause for optimism just yet. >> isn't putin heading in the right direction on at least getting leaders to speak together? he picked up the phone personally and called a number of global leaders to try to move somewhere towards finding some type of resolution. mr. putin is an expert at exacerbating a crisis and then pretending to be a peacemaker as he has recently d

the coming hours, the meeting between the russians, vladimir putin and his foreign minister sergei lavrov, and the u.s. secretary of state john kerry, who is starting a trip to moscow, will be so important. >> syrian government forces meanwhile have reportedly fought their way to the outskirts of the historic city of palmyra. the syrian state news agency said that the military has cleared the hills outside of the city of isil fighters. they're trying to capture palmyra, which includes the unesco world heritage site. it wases captured in may. >>> president hopeful jeb bush has backed ted cruz saying that he's the best choice to take the white house. we go to--quite frankly if you're endorsing another candidate at this stage of the republican race means that you did not win a huge support. but it is suggesting that part of the republican establishment is now comfortable with ted cruz. there are two reasons why jeb bush has done what he has done. first, he dislikes donald trump intensely. they do not get on. he's aware that donald trump in the early days of his campaign fought against jeb bu

john kerry spoke sfo sregey lavrov on the phone. the latest call took place as the syria's government and main opposition attend talks in geneva. while the opposition continues to engage in those talks, questions remain about its future. in the last five years dozens of armed groups and political fronts have been formed but so far they haven't been able to achieve the democratic transition they originally set out for. >> reporter: they once took areas from northern aleppo and raqqa to homs in the center, but the syrian oppositions been diverse in recent years. fighters have fled from homs where there was once a stronghold. raqqa is the capital now of islamic state in iraq and the levant. syrian opposition groups say the lack of will to move president bashar al-assad by western countries, including the u.s., contributed to their losses. the strongest groups fighting in syria are the ones that have either pledged allegiance to i.s.i.l. or al-qaeda. many syrian soldiers and officers defected early on but the kraegts of the free syrian

ahead of an important meeting to take place later this week between john kerry and lavrov. i think they want something from secretary kerry. i can't tell what that something is. i think they're trying to get a concession from the u.s. side. i think also after that russian military pull out that they announced and certainly started in syria, maybe this is a signal to the bashar al-assad regime, we're not abandoning you all together >>> thank you. hundreds of refugees continue to arrive in greece despite a deal between the e.u. and turkey to stop them. rubber boats crammed with people arrived on the greek island of lesbos just hours after the deal was meant to come into effect. greece is struggling to implement the agreement because of legal problems with the asylum registration process. our correspondent has more. >> reporter: the e.u. turkey deal has come into force. the difficulty now is to implement it. greece needs help. the european urine has promised assistance. they plan to send hundreds of police officers, migration officials, lawyers, judges, to set up a fast-track

however, it is very possible that when john kerry met with sergey lavrov earlier today, they viewed two men that already knew that piece of information. we don't know what they were discussing during that meeting. what we do know from the spokeswoman of the foreign ministry the meeting lasted for hours as they discussed also ukraine, a very important issue for the rigses, at least. probably john kerry would want to see more involvement from the russians in the sense they would like to see russia put its weight again, putting pressure on president bashar al assad. we know that the two sides are at adds on the future of bashar al assad in that transitional government, but at the moment, his frustration that the syrian part and the government side is procrastinating in tackling the core issue of these geneva talks. i think also probably, john kerry would like to understand really how much pressure or much protection would i say is vladimir putin giving bashar al assad. the announcement of the draw down of the russian troops came as a surprise to absolutely everyone. this is a draw down, it

need yaltor >> we always need help from mr kerry and mr lavrov because they've proved in the past, and i hope that they prove in the future, that when they have a common understanding, it helps enormously the process >>> we're also having the humanitarian task force meeting. what are they discussing it? >> that's one of the things that going on in parallel with the talks, is we have a cessation of hostilities that's now been in place for three and a half weeks, and we have this effort to get to besieged communities and get aid to besieged communities. the latest we have from the u.n. is that there are errors they're not reaching-- areas that they're not reaching which are being besieged by the government side. again, pressure on the government delegation. i can tell you the opposition delegation are saying in addition to those six there are other areas that are starting to be besieged by the government since these talks started. i think when we hear from the u.n. and in case from the humanitarian adviser to this process, it will be interesting to see whether he calls out the government

the coming hours, the meeting between the russians, vladimir putin, and his foreign minister sergei lavrov, and the u.s. secretary of state john kerry who is starting a trip to moscow will be so important. >>> the underup's refugee agency has withdrawn its staff from camps receiving refugees and migrants on lesvos and other greek islands. >> we have been working in greece for several years now, and since the beginning of this crisis, we have been on the island of lesvos, and the island of kios, and some of the other islands receiving most of the refugees and migrants. one of the activities was to transport people once they land to centers where they are being registered, and where they are provided with assistance, and give them the document that allows them to continue with their travel to the mainland of greece. now since sunday, under the new e.u.-turkey agreement, the policy has changed, and these centers are no longer reception centers, but closed centers, in fact detention centers. people are being -- are not allowed to leave these places and to move on to the mainland. therefore, we

embarrassing to watch this secretary secretary of state as they continue to beg vladimir putin and his stooge lavrov as they continue to place russia in a position of influence they have not had since anwar sadat threw them out of egypt in 1973. they now have a major role to play in the middle east. they have a military base, they have a naval base, they have upgraded airfields, and of course they have now solidified bashar assad's position in power. is there anybody that believes that russia will agree to an arrangement that bashar assad or his stooge doesn't remain in power? of course not. aren't we tired of begging punitive punitive? aren't we tired of watching the united states, the young men that we trained and equipped being bombed by punitive -- vladimir putin and killed and murdered? don't we sometime grow a little tired of that? it's no wonder that the united states of america has no standing and no influence in the region. and may i just -- i don't often quote from the "new york times". i just would ask my colleague if he has seen the russian move may be a reflection that mr. putin is now

kerry was in moscow and he had four hour speech with lavrov and four hour meeting with putin, and the question was discussed in the meetings. and finally it was a proposition by russian government they say we exchange for total amnesty for all rebels and fight eers a yesterday i read that the american government wouldn't accept it. it's very strange because russia talks with the united states about -- not with the ukrainian government. because actually the russian bsh putin's position it's my own personal opinion that putin's position that ukraine is not an abandoned state. it's manipulated. so he prefers talk with the united states. united states officials not with ukraine. okay. that's the problem of due process because i know the bjude refused all the documents and phone printings, phone number printings and so on. that's the first part. the second problem is the recent russian constitutional courts, you know, what is more important the judgments of the european court or international legislation and the constitutional court ruled that could reverse in of the courts judgment if it

secretary of state john kerry and his russian counter part, sergey lavrov. it's clear, i think they're doing a bit of arm twisting because they want something from secretary kerry. i can't tell you what that something is. clearly i think there is something behind the scenes, a concession they are trying to get from the u.s. side. i think also after that russian military mull out that they announced and certainly started in syria, maybe this is a signal to the assad regime we're not abandoning you altogether. >> al jazeera's diplomaticette door james boys in geneva. the syrian opposition said it will decide by the end of the week whether it will continue taking partly in the peace talks. >>> the pentagon is deploying more marines into iraq after the death of a u.s. service member there. staff sergeant louis war don is the first marine to die in iraq in five months. he was killed at a base outside of mosul by rocket fire. several other troops were injured. that city is an isil stronghold. the anti isil coalition is going after troops in iraq. anbar has been un

he was meeting with vladimir putin and lavrov. he says they have now reached an understanding on how the fragile truce in syria can be strengthed. war planes had are hitting target inside syria. our correspondent is has more. >> reporter: these pictures broadcast on syrian state television are said to show a significant advance. syrian government forces fighting to recapture the historic city from i.s.i.l. state media also showed planes and helicopters flying over ahead as soldiers approached on the ground. the syrian council said many civilians fled after i.s.i.l. told them via loud speakers that the fighting awas drawing near. i.s.i.l. is resisting claims it is losing control. moving quickly to release this video that it shez shows its fighters driving around parts of the city as syrian government troops advance. some analysts believe the syrian government advance will be a morale booster. >> the terrorist organization, this focuses attention on i.s.i.s. as a failed state at this point in time given that the u.s. and russia are

china's foreign minister meeting with vladimir putin and foreign minister lavrov to discuss the syrian peace process and intentions in the korean peninsu peninsula. tensions were heightened among refew geejs and migrants over a limited amount of supplies arriving in the overcrowded camp on the greece macedonian border. aid organizations brought them clothes and teams distributes the food, the people began to argue and pushed in desperation. >>> a dozen memphis residents were evacuated from flooded homes. a rescue team used an amphibious vehicle to navigate through a neighborhood swamped by the river. >>> transit rail riders face the pros secretary of starting a workweek amid a strike, with union representing 4,000 workers. they have been working without a contract for nearly five years. >> in the tri-state area, that means leave extra time for your commute. that's the cnbc news update. >> we've been getting those e-mail updates. >> work for home. >> doesn't work for me and you though. >> we have to be here. but that's a good thing. thank you so much. sue herrera. primaries in florida a

. >>> secretary of state john kerry meeting with his russian counterpart, sergey lavrov, in moscow. the two discussing cessation of violence in syria, the ukrainian crisis as well as the international fight against isis. >>> and iraqi military spokesmen says the long-awaited operation to recapture the northern city of mosul from the islamic state has begun. iraqi forces retook several villages east of the city. >>> at a state dinner in buenos aires last night, two tango dancers approached president obama and the first lady and coaxed the two of them on to the dance floor. each did a few twirls before sitting back down. good sports. that's your cnbc news update for this hour. for now, back to you and "squawk on the street." >> that video is everywhere today. courtney, thank you. >>> a big call from ubs this morning, initiating wells fargo with a accelerating, citing risks to the company's revenue growth and credit performance. the analyst behind that call, brendan hawkin of ubs, joins us now to discuss it. we should note, the financials are the worst performers right now, wells fargo

he is going to meet with obviously foreign minister lavrov but also with president putin. you know, look, we have a two-pronged strategy, if you will, with regard to syria. we've got traction on the political front. we've got negotiations or proximity talks ongoing. we have to solve that civil war and then we can all collectively increase our efforts to dismantle and destroy daesh. it's that simple an equation. we have to end the fighting on the civil war in order to go after daesh more effectively but, again, the problem beyond syria, beyond iraq, that remains a challenge. >> mark, go ahead. go ahead, david. >> do you -- do you -- do you see the united states and russia fighting together, alongside in this fight against isis? >> if -- if russia and -- say it this way. if russia wants to play a constructive role in carrying out attacks or strikes against isol, we would welcome that opportunity to work with them. we didn't see that thus far, but we've got a nascent cessation of hostilities on the ground. we've seen the fighting significantly drop off. there's a lot of work

lavrov. after decimating opponents of assad's regime with its bombing, russia has now made a joint statement with the u.s. that it will agree to a cessation of hostilities february 27th. to moo the only thing rush why has been consistent with is failing to keep its word. what consequences, specifically what consequences do you support imposing upon russia if it violates the cease-fire agreement and it is just a smokescreen or some kind of a charade? >> well, in answer to the question, what does john kerry think he could achieve -- >> and the consequences for russia if they do violate. >> right. my job and the job of everybody in the state department is to try to -- you know, war is the absence of failure of diplomacy. our job is to try to see if there is a way to bring this to an end. i can't -- i'm not sitting here naively vouching for the fact this is going to work but the all the it i have is i sit in my office, go visit a bunch of countries while the war wages on and nobody makes an effor