U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov have discussed the crisis in Syria.
The two met December 6 in Dublin on the sidelines of a security conference.
Joining them was the international envoy for Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, who said the two sides had not made any breakthroughs but would seek a "creative" solution to the impasse.
Washington and its allies want Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down. Russia says his fate cannot be decided outside Syria.
The conflict has left an estimated 38,000 dead.
Meanwhile, Assad's deputy foreign minister said Western powers were spreading rumors Damascus is preparing to use chemical weapons as a "pretext for foreign intervention."
Inside Syria, fighting was reported along the main road from the capital to the city's international airport.
The two met December 6 in Dublin on the sidelines of a security conference.
Joining them was the international envoy for Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, who said the two sides had not made any breakthroughs but would seek a "creative" solution to the impasse.
Washington and its allies want Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down. Russia says his fate cannot be decided outside Syria.
The conflict has left an estimated 38,000 dead.
Meanwhile, Assad's deputy foreign minister said Western powers were spreading rumors Damascus is preparing to use chemical weapons as a "pretext for foreign intervention."
Inside Syria, fighting was reported along the main road from the capital to the city's international airport.