John Kerry to Meet Sergei Lavrov Ahead of Crimea Referendum

US Secretary of State John Kerry will meet with Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Friday in London to discuss the situation in Crimea.

The meeting will be a last attempt to bring the conflicting sides closer, ahead of Sunday's referendum on the future status of the autonomous Ukrainian peninsula, Euronews reports.

The United States and the European Union have claimed they would not recognize the referendum, which is all but set to rule in favor of Crimea joining the Russian Federation. They have also warned Russia to pull back its troops from Crimea or risk economic and political sanctions.

Meanwhile, Moscow continues to accuse the West of supporting a "coup" in Ukraine and installing an illegitimate government.

So far, diplomatic talks have not yielded much positive results.