Story highlights The meeting comes amid recriminations over alleged Russian interference in the 2016 elections

Trump last week again refused to lay the blame for hacking during the race on Moscow

Washington (CNN) Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Washington on Wednesday to discuss Ukraine, Syria and bilateral issues, the State Department announced Monday.

"On Ukraine, the sides will discuss the need to stop the violence in eastern Ukraine and resolve the conflict through the full implementation of the Minsk agreements," the department said in a statement.

"On Syria, the secretary intends to discuss efforts to de-escalate violence, provide humanitarian assistance to the Syrian people, and set the stage for a political settlement of the conflict," it said.

In addition to the tensions between Washington and Moscow over geopolitics, the meeting also comes against a backdrop of recriminations over alleged Russian interference in the 2016 elections.

The announcement came out as former acting Attorney General Sally Yates prepares to testify in front of a Senate subcommittee Monday about the content and timing of what she told the Trump White House about former national security adviser Michael Flynn's ties to Russia.

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