MOSCOW - The United States and Russia shared similar positions over the settlement of Syrian crisis, visiting U. S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Tuesday.

During his meeting with President Vladimir Putin, Kerry said both Washington and Moscow were interested in stability in the Middle East region, the Kremlin press service reported.

"The United States believes that we share some very significant common interests with respect to Syria -- stability in the region, not having extremists creating problems throughout the region and elsewhere," Kerry said, expressing his hope that the two countries could "be able to dig into that little bit and see if we can find some common ground."

Kerry also noted that the U.S. and Russia shared a common approach toward solving the prolonged crisis in Syria reflected in the Geneva communiqué.

This is Kerry's first visit to Russia since he took office on Feb.1.

Earlier in the day, Kerry witnessed a rehearsal of the Victory Day Parade in downtown Moscow and laid a wreath at the Tomb of Unknown Soldier and Eternal Flame near the Kremlin.

In addition to his talks with Putin, Kerry also plans to meet with high-ranking Russian officials and representatives from civil society during his visit here, the State Department said earlier. (Xinhua)