This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/apr/12/us-russia-relations-tillerson-moscow-press-conference
The article has changed 17 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| US-Russia relations at a low, says Tillerson at Moscow press conference | US-Russia relations at a low, says Tillerson at Moscow press conference |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| US-Russia relations are at a low and marked by distrust, America’s top diplomat, Rex Tillerson, has said, after a day of talks in Moscow with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov. | US-Russia relations are at a low and marked by distrust, America’s top diplomat, Rex Tillerson, has said, after a day of talks in Moscow with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov. |
| Tillerson had flown to Russia in an attempt to push Moscow towards the US position on Syria, but Lavrov said the two sides still “diverged” over their evaluation of last week’s chemical attack on a rebel-held town. | |
| Tillerson, who also met the Russian president Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, told a joint press conference with Lavrov: “The current state of US-Russian relations is at a low point. There’s a low level of trust between our two countries … The world’s two foremost nuclear powers cannot have this sort of relationship.” | |
| On Syria, Tillerson said the US was confident in its assessment that the regime used chemical weapons in last week’s bombing of Khan Sheikhun in Idlib province, and alleged that it had used such weapons more than 50 times in the past. Last week’s attack prompted Washington to launch a barrage of Tomahawk missiles on a Syrian air base. | |
| Lavrov said a UN chemical weapons watchdog must conduct an “objective and unbiased probe” into the chemical attack, and that Russia had no intention to “shield anyone”. | Lavrov said a UN chemical weapons watchdog must conduct an “objective and unbiased probe” into the chemical attack, and that Russia had no intention to “shield anyone”. |
| But he reaffirmed Moscow’s view that the Syrian government wasn’t responsible. Moscow has insisted that the civilians who died were killed by toxic agents released from a rebel chemical arsenal struck by Syrian warplanes. | But he reaffirmed Moscow’s view that the Syrian government wasn’t responsible. Moscow has insisted that the civilians who died were killed by toxic agents released from a rebel chemical arsenal struck by Syrian warplanes. |
| Tillerson said he did not discuss changes in sanctions against Russia during his meeting with Lavrov. Donald Trump’s repeated campaign calls for improving relations with Russia had led to speculation that Washington might remove or dilute sanctions imposed against Russia for its interference in Ukraine, including the annexation of Crimea. | |
| The news conference came after Putin met Tillerson for almost two hours. Putin, too, cast US-Russia relations in a negative light, telling Russian TV: “You can say that the level of trust on a working level, especially on the military side, has not improved but most likely worsened.” | The news conference came after Putin met Tillerson for almost two hours. Putin, too, cast US-Russia relations in a negative light, telling Russian TV: “You can say that the level of trust on a working level, especially on the military side, has not improved but most likely worsened.” |
| The men know each other well from Tillerson’s days as Exxon Mobil CEO. Putin had even granted Tillerson a friendship honour. | The men know each other well from Tillerson’s days as Exxon Mobil CEO. Putin had even granted Tillerson a friendship honour. |
| More details soon … | More details soon … |