US secretary of state Rex Tillerson is having talks with Russia's Vladimir Putin amid tensions over an American strike on Syria.
The meeting at the Kremlin comes hours after Donald Trump's top diplomat faced his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.
Mr Lavrov said Moscow was trying to understand the "real intentions" of the Trump administration.
He said Russia has lots of questions about the "very ambiguous" and "contradictory" ideas coming from Washington.
Russia has also accused the US of "primitive and loutish" rhetoric over Syria.
The Russian foreign minister said last week's cruise missile strike on a Syrian government airbase was an unlawful attack against President Bashar al Assad's forces.
Mr Lavrov said: "We consider it of utmost importance to prevent the risks of replay of similar action in the future."
The US claimed the strike was in retaliation for the Syrian regime's deadly chemical attack on civilians - which was believed to have been launched from the targeted airfield.
Russia backs Mr Assad in his fight against rebels, including Islamic extremists, in the country's six-year-old civil war.
Relations between Moscow and Washington have deteriorated in the early months of the Trump presidency, according to Mr Putin.
He said: "It can be said that the level of trust at the working level, especially at the military level, has not become better but most likely has degraded."
Mr Tillerson has admitted the two countries had "sharp differences" which have got in the way of cooperation but he expressed optimism their talks could narrow those differences.
"We both have agreed our lines of communication shall always remain open," Mr Tillerson said.
Mr Trump has claimed the US had no plans to become more deeply involved in Syria and only did so last week because of the toxic gas attack that killed more than 80 people.
UK analysis of samples from the attack has detected sarin or a sarin-like substance, said Britain's UN ambassador.
The Putin-Tillerson meeting was believed to be the first between the Russian President and a top member of Mr Trump's administration since the US businessman took office in January.
It is not the first time Mr Putin and Mr Tillerson have had talks.
The Russian leader has previously met the American when he was head of US oil giant ExxonMobil.
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