PARIS (REUTERS) - Talks between United States Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart, Mr Sergei Lavrov, ended late on Sunday after four hours of negotiations to defuse tensions over Ukraine.

The goal of the meeting was to develop a proposal conceived by Mr Kerry and Mr Lavrov during earlier meetings to de-escalate the crisis over Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region. Both sides are expected to hold separate news conferences on the outcome of the talks.