U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will travel to Russia later this month for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the U.S. State Department said Friday. Rice's April 19-20 visit is to prepare for a meeting between Putin and U.S. President George W. Bush during commemorations marking the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said. She will also meet with her Russian counterpart, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. After visiting Russia, Rice will head to Lithuania for a meeting of NATO foreign ministers and meet with Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus and Foreign Minister Antanas Valionis for talks on Afghanistan and Iraq. ---SP 2303 Local Time 2003 GMT
