KIEV, March 5 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry urged direct talks between Russia and Ukraine during a brief discussion with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday, a U.S. official said.
It was the first time Kerry and Lavrov have met face to face since Russian troops effectively occupied Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula.
"The Secretary urged direct talks between Russia and Ukraine," a senior State Department official said of the brief "pull aside" on the sidelines of a conference on Lebanon.
Earlier, foreign ministers from the United States, France, Germany, Britain and Russia met separately to discuss the situation in Ukraine. (Reporting by Lesley Wroughton; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
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