U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Friday that the U.S. was ready to begin direct talks with Russia over the situation in Syria. The announcement comes at a moment of high tensions between Washington, D.C., and Moscow over Russia’s involvement in both Syria and Ukraine.“The president believes that a military-to-military conversation is an important next step, and I think, hopefully, it will take place very shortly,” said Kerry, according to the New York Times.