U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is expected to hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Sochi on Tuesday with an array of issues on the agenda.

The meeting is an opportunity for the sides to begin repairing ties that have been strained over issues from Syria, Venezuela and Iran to arms control and alleged election interference.

It could also be a precursor to fresh Putin-Trump talks, following an hour-long phone call between the leaders – shortly after the release of the Mueller report – in early May. Both men are expected at the G20 summit in Japan in June.

Here are some of the topics likely to be on the Putin-Pompeo menu:

1. Iran

Washington's "maximum pressure" campaign against Tehran has stepped up a gear in recent weeks. The consequences of the U.S. withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) are being felt, further tariffs have been imposed, and the U.S. is moving more military assets to the region. Russia aims, along with the other remaining signatories to the JCPOA – Iran, China, the European Union, Britain, France and Germany – to keep it alive and has been sharply critical of U.S. escalation.

2. Venezuela

Venezuela has been in the eye of the storm over recent months, with an attempted coup led by opposition leader Juan Guaido falling flat in the past fortnight. Russia has backed incumbent President Nicolas Maduro to stay in office, while the United States has led support for Guaido. Both countries have accused the other of interfering in Venezuela's internal affairs.  

3. Arms control

The United States withdrew from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty in 2018, claiming breaches by Russia. And the 2011 New START treaty, which limits deployed strategic nuclear weapons, expires in 2021 and has described it as a "bad deal" and "one-sided." Finding a route forward on arms control is thought to be a priority.

4. Syria

Syria, where both countries have been militarily active, is an ongoing bone of contention. Russia has backed the government of President Bashar al-Assad, while the United States – which is moving towards a drawdown in Syria – has opposed it. Both countries are now influential players in the region.

5. DPRK

Democratic People's Republic of Korea leader Kim Jong Un met with Putin in Vladivostok in April, and the White House said last week's Putin-Trump phone call featured extensive discussion about the situation on the Korean Peninsula. The Kremlin said Putin had urged sanctions relief in exchange for Pyongyang's "fulfillment of obligations." Negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang appear to have hit an impasse after the Kim-Trump summit in Vietnam, and the DPRK has carried out fresh missile tests in recent weeks.

6. Elections

The Putin-Pompeo meeting will be the highest level face-to-face Russia-U.S. talks since the Mueller report was released, and the top American diplomat will be under pressure from his former colleagues in Congress to bring up alleged Russian election interference.

7. Other business

The situation in Ukraine will be among the issues discussed, both the Russian Foreign Ministry and the U.S. State Department have said, and Trump declared after his May 3 phone call with Putin that the leaders wanted to improve their countries' trading and investment relationship. Washington continues to impose sanctions on Moscow.