'Critical moment'
Relations between the United States and Russia have deteriorated in large part because of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
U.S. officials, like many in the West, accuse Russia of equipping and supporting pro-Russia separatists in eastern Ukraine, as well as sending its own troops over the border into Ukraine -- claims that Moscow denies. Russia also annexed Ukraine's Crimea region last year.
The United States and European Union have imposed financial sanctions against Russian interests in an attempt to pressure Moscow into changing course.
A senior State Department official said it was a "critical moment" to move forward on Ukraine and try to stop the violence.
"We've been very, very clear publicly that if Minsk is fully implemented, when it's fully implemented, including restoration of the sovereign border, there'll be an opportunity to roll back sanctions. We've also made clear that if there is -- are more serious violations that the pressure will increase," the official said before the meetings.
Meanwhile, Russia blames the United States for the Ukraine crisis, saying it was Washington's support for the administration now in power in Kiev that led to the ouster of Ukraine's pro-Moscow former President Viktor Yanukovych in early 2014, following weeks of street protests.
The United States is currently providing almost $130 million in nonlethal security support to Ukraine and is helping to train the Ukrainian National Guard in western Ukraine.
The expected meeting between Kerry and Putin may signal a desire to move toward a normalization of bilateral relations.
Despite the tensions over Ukraine, the two countries cooperate at the U.N. Security Council in other important areas of diplomacy, such as Iran's controversial nuclear program. They also need to find common ground on Syria and the current crisis in Yemen.
Putin has not been prepared to back down over Ukraine so far. But the expected meeting between Kerry and Putin suggests some willingness at least for the two sides to talk.