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US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu on Friday in an attempt to stave off a diplomatic crisis between Washington and Ankara over the detention of an American pastor in Turkey.

The United States is demanding the release of Andrew Brunson, who led a Protestant church in the Aegean city of Izmir, after he was placed under house arrest last week following nearly two years in jail on charges of espionage and supporting terror groups.

The meeting came days after Washington hit two top Turkish officials with sanctions over Brunson's detention, prompting Ankara to threaten reciprocal measures.

US State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said Pompeo and Cavusoglu had a "constructive conversation" on the sidelines of a regional meeting in Singapore.

"They spoke about a number of issues... They agreed to continue to try to resolve the issues between our two countries," she said.

Brunson, whose trial began in the spring, faces up to 35 years in jail if convicted.

Andrew Brunson was initially detained in October 2016 during Turkey's crackdown following an attempted coup

The State Department has said it continues to favour a diplomatic approach, but Nauert told reporters earlier this week "this has gone on for too long", referring to Brunson's detention.

Before the meeting on Friday, Pompeo said that US sanctions on Turkey showed Washington was "very serious" in demanding the release of the American pastor.

"Brunson needs to come home. As do all the Americans being held by the Turkish government," Pompeo added. "They've been holding these folks for a long time. These are innocent people."

Two Turkish employees of US consulates in Turkey are also currently in jail on terror charges and another is under house arrest, while several Americans have been caught up in the crackdown that followed a failed 2016 coup.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Friday said he told US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that threats and sanctions will not work, after Washington targeted Turkish ministers over the detention of an American pastor.

"We have said from the start that the other side's threatening language and sanctions will not get any result. We repeated this today," Cavusoglu said in televised remarks in Singapore after their meeting.

The standoff appears to be one of the most serious crises between the two NATO allies in modern history, along with the rows over the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus and the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq.

Brunson was initially detained in October 2016 during Turkey's crackdown following an attempted putsch.

He stands accused of carrying out activities on behalf of two organisations Turkey considers terror groups.

One is led by the US-based Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen, who Ankara says was behind the failed coup, while the other is the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

The pastor denies the charges and his defence team argues the case is built on questionable witness statements. His next hearing is set for 12 October.