Kerry is due to meet with his Russian, Ukrainian and EU counterparts tomorrow in a bid to defuse soaring tensions in the ex-Soviet satellite where pro-Russian militants that Kiev says are backed by Moscow have taken control of parts of the southeast.
"The idea here is that it has been difficult to get real dialogue going between Russia and Ukraine," a State Department official, who wished to remain anonymous, told reporters before landing.
"The idea here is to try to provide a space where the US and the EU can sit with Russia and Ukraine and can look first and foremost for ways to de-escalate the security situation.