Tillerson warns US-Russia relations ‘at low point’ after meetings with Vladimir Putin

Relations between Moscow and Washington are at a low point, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says.

The comments came after Mr Tillerson met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and later with President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

In the talks dominated by the war in Syria, Mr Tillerson reiterated the US position that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad must eventually relinquish power in Syria, a position starkly at odds with Russia.

“There is a low level of trust between our two countries,” Mr Tillerson said.

“The world’s two foremost nuclear powers cannot have this kind of relationship.”

World left wondering, what now?

For years we have been aware of evidence that Bashar al-Assad may not have declared all of his chemical weapons stockpiles — and these strikes highlight the dilemma about what to do now, writes Matt Brown.

But Mr Lavrov warned Mr Assad’s removal was not a good idea and would only serve to benefit the Islamic State group in the long run.

Source: Rex Tillerson warns US-Russia relations ‘at low point’ after meetings with Sergei Lavrov, Vladimir Putin – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)