US accuses Russia of inaction over Syria chemical attack

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Sunday blamed Russia’s inaction for helping fuel a deadly poison gas attack against Syrian civilians last week, saying Moscow failed to carry out a 2013 agreement to secure and destroy chemical weapons in Syria.

“I think the real failure here has been Russia’s failure to live up to its commitments under the chemical weapons agreements that were entered into in 2013,” Tillerson said on ABC News’ “This Week.”

“The failure related to the recent strike and the recent terrible chemical weapons attack in large measure is a failure on Russia’s part to achieve its commitment to the international community,” he added.

Tillerson is expected in Moscow this week for talks with Russian officials.

He stopped short of accusing Russia of being directly involved in the planning or execution of the attack, saying he had not seen “any hard evidence” to suggest the nation was an accomplice to Syrian President Bashar al- Assad.

But he said the US expected Russia to take a tougher stance against Syria by rethinking its alliance with Assad because “every time one of these horrific attacks occurs, it draws Russia closer into some level of responsibility.”

Tillerson’s comments came just a few days after the US fired dozens of cruise missiles at the Syrian airbase that was allegedly used in the chemical attack.

The move immediately prompted a backlash from Russian President Vladimir Putin, who said it would damage US- Russian relations.

Meanwhile, Putin and Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani said in a Sunday phone call that aggressive US actions against Syria were not permissible and violated international law. The two leaders also called for an objective investigation into an incident involving chemical weapons.

Also on Sunday, a joint command center made up of the forces of Russian, Iran and allied militia alliance supporting Assad said the US strike on a Syrian air base crossed “red lines” and it would now respond to any new aggression and increase their level of support to their ally.