U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel are due to meet in Washington with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu amid deteriorating relations between the two countries. 

The meeting in Washington on August 9 follows the announcement from the White House on August 7 that President Barack Obama was canceling a one-on-one meeting with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin scheduled for Moscow next month.

Ties between the United States and Russia are strained over several issues, one being Russia's decision to grant former U.S. intelligence contractor Edward Snowden temporary asylum.

Snowden leaked classified information about U.S. global Internet- and telephone-surveillance programs and faces espionage charges in the United States.

Washington has also been frustrated by Moscow's continued support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad amid the country's devastating civil war. The United States supports rebel factions in the country and wants to see Assad leave power.

Moscow, for its part, has been concerned for several years about a joint U.S.-European plan to build a missile-defense shield in Europe. Washington says the system is intended to protect NATO countries from a possible attack from Iran, but Moscow argues it could affect Russia's nuclear deterrent.

The United States has also expressed concern about what it says is a crackdown on civil society in Russia since Putin returned to the Kremlin last year. There have been increased protests in the United States over a Russian law adopted this summer that criminalizes the "propaganda" of homosexuality to minors.

That law and another requiring nongovernmental organizations that accept foreign funding and engage in "political activity" to register as "foreign agents" have led to calls for the United States to boycott the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi. The Obama administration has said it is not considering a boycott.

On August 8, Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko defended the gay-propaganda law:

"I want to calm everyone down first of all, as in addition to this law on the territory of Russia, we have the Constitution of the Russian Federation that guarantees all citizens the right to a private life, guarantees that there will be no interference in this private life," Mutko said.

"This law is not intended to deprive citizens of any country, religion, or orientations of their interests and rights. This law is intended to ban the propaganda among youth, more than anything else."

Mutko added that the law should not affect the Sochi Games.

"I can assure you that the Olympic Games will take place at the highest level. All rights of all citizens will be protected, but the laws of any country whose territory you enter, must of course be observed," he said. "But I'll say it again -- this doesn't affect the athletes at all. Come and compete."

The meeting in Washington between the U.S. and Russian foreign and defense ministers is expected to focus on the situations in Syria, Afghanistan, Iran, and North Korea, as well as on European missile-defense plans.

With reporting by Reuters, AFP, and ITAR-TASS