Pompeo will meet with Russia's Putin, Lavrov during visit to Russia

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will travel to Russia on May 12-14, where he will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, the State Department said on Friday.

They will discuss "the full range of bilateral and multilateral challenges," the State Department said in a statement. Though U.S. President Donald Trump has sought closer ties between the two countries, Pompeo's meeting comes as the two heavyweights have clashed over a number of issues, including Venezuela, Syria and Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election. (Reporting by Makini Brice and Susan Heavey; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Steve Orlofsky)