John Kerry Arrives in Boston for Surgery on Broken Leg

Secretary of State John Kerry returned this evening to Boston, where he's scheduled to have surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital on Tuesday to set a broken femur he suffered during a biking accident in the French Alps, State Department officials said.

Kerry's overseas meetings were cut short due to the accident, but officials said he has continued to work at an impressive pace even after the fall. Kerry continued to send emails and even called foreign diplomats while at the hospital in Geneva, according to his spokesman, John Kirby.

Kerry's staff returned home Sunday on his plane, while it was decided he should take a military C-17 specially configured to deal with his condition. Medical personnel were on board, including as his orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Dennis Burke, who flew in from Boston to meet him in Geneva, officials said, noting that Burke performed Kerry's hip replacement surgery several years ago.

While Kerry's recovery period is unknown, State Department officials insisted that he will not be prevented from participating in the ongoing nuclear negotiations with Iran, which are closing in on a deadline at the end of the month.

"The secretary is absolutely committed to moving with the negotiations, to proceeding with them on the exact same timetable as before his accident," State Department spokeswoman Mari Harf said today. "[It's] critical to stress that he is committed to doing so in the same time frame."

Kerry had just begun his ride when he hit a curb on the street that caused him to fall, according to Harf. She said it was a route that has at times been used by cyclists competing in the Tour de France.