MOSCOW, Dec. 14 - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is in Russia to try and narrow gaps with Russian leaders over a political transition to end Syria's civil war and restore stability in eastern Ukraine, AP reported.

After spending last week at climate talks outside the French capital, Kerry arrived early Tuesday in Moscow, where he will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

The trip is Kerry's second to Russia this year — he met with Putin in the Black Sea resort of Sochi in May — but his first since frosty relations over Ukraine were exacerbated by Moscow's intervention in Syria in late September. President Barack Obama has seen Putin briefly twice since then at international summits in Turkey and France.

A U.S. diplomat in Paris, who demanded anonymity to discuss the talks, said a meeting in Geneva on Friday between Russian and American diplomats on Syria was aimed mainly at clearing up Russian "grievances" ahead of Tuesday's Moscow meeting.

A statement issued by the Russian Foreign Ministry aired some of those grievances, saying that Moscow "will continue to seek a revision of the U.S. administration policy based on dividing terrorists into a 'bad' and 'good' ones" and complaining that the U.S. was unwilling to engage in "full-fledged coordination" between the two powers' militaries while both are conducting airstrikes in Syria.

Russia says its airstrikes since late September have targeted the Islamic State, but Western governments claim mostly moderate rebels are being hit and that Moscow is primarily concerned with shoring up Syrian President Bashar Assad.

The U.S. and Russia are also at odds over Ukraine, where the U.S. says Russia's continued support for separatists in the east is destabilizing and prevents any end to hostilities.

The U.S. has been pressing its European allies to continue applying sanctions on Russia because of its annexation last year of Crimea and its support for the separatists.

In Moscow, Kerry will ask for Russia's full implementation of a February cease-fire in exchange for sanctions relief. That deal called for the removal of heavy weaponry from front lines, a Russian troop withdrawal, the release of detainees and full access for international monitors. That cease-fire has become increasingly strained.

The official also rejected suggestions that the U.S. might be willing to ease off on Ukraine if Russia alters its positions on Syria.

"We are not playing 'Let's Make a Deal' here," the official said. "We are not trading Ukraine for Syria." (ap/ez)