US, Russia relations at ‘low point’
Tillerson, Putin hold ‘very frank’ talks about Syria
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Russian President Vladimir Putin held more than two hours of “very frank” talks Wednesday in the Kremlin amid tensions over a U.S. airstrike against a Syrian air base reportedly involved in last week’s deadly chemical attack.
In remarks to reporters after the meeting, Tillerson said he told the Russian leader that current relations between the two countries are at a “low point.”
“There is a low level of trust between our two countries,” Tillerson said in a joint news conference with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov. “The world’s two foremost nuclear owners cannot have this kind of relationship.”
Lavrov described the talks between the secretary and Putin as “substantial” and “very frank.”
In their remarks to reporters, both sought to emphasize opportunities for improving relations. Lavrov said a “deconfliction” agreement would be restored so both sides in Syria could keep the other apprised of their air operations and avoid inadvertent incidents.
Russia suspended the agreement after the U.S. attack on a Syrian airfield last week in response to a chemical weapons attack by Syria on areas controlled by forces opposed to Syrian President Bashar Assad, a Russian ally.
Lavrov also said Russia was calling for an independent investigation through the U.N. into the circumstances surrounding the chemical attack and the U.S. response to “try to identify the culprits.”
Russia has suggested the attack may have been the work of rebels or that Syrian planes hit hidden caches of chemical arms controlled by them. The U.S. has said its intelligence reports show conclusively that the chemical attack was planned and carried out by Syria. At least 86 people were killed.
Tillerson, who said before his visit that Russia was either complicit or incompetent regarding Syrian use of chemical weapons, sidestepped the issue of any Russian role.