Leading members of the G7, at a summit in Italy, will get their first chance to seek clarity from US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on whether the US is now committed to deposing the regime of Syrian President President Bashar al-Assad. Tillerson answered a question about effecting regime change by saying the USA was organizing a coalition to do just that.
"We've seen Russian failure to stop the regime from barrel bomb campaigns and campaigns against innocent civilians, especially in Aleppo, but really across the opposition held areas in the country", the official said.
The decision to carry out strikes against the regime and the change in tone from Haley follows Trump's comments that the chemical attack "crossed a lot of lines for me".
In a round of television interviews that aired Sunday, though, Tillerson said the top USA priority in the region remains the defeat of Islamic State militants.
"The Russians were never targeted in this particular strike", Tillerson said. Then Trump, the day after the assault, said his thinking about Assad had changed. "This place will serve as an inspiration to us all".
Haley told CNN's "State of the Union" that removing Assad was now a USA priority. Just over a week ago, top administration officials were signaling that removing Assad is no longer a US priority.
Haley on Friday warned that the United States was prepared to take further action in Syria, but the Trump administration has refused to be drawn on what those next steps would be.
"We need to remember that not 10 years ago, but 100 or 120 days ago, the concern in Europe was that the United States and the European Union were moving apart", Alfano told Sky TG24 Sunday.
Russian Federation is Syria's most powerful ally and has propped up the Assad regime with air power.
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After meeting Tillerson, Japan's Kishida said "Japan supports the USA commitment in trying to take responsibility to prevent spread and use of chemical weapons and we confirmed Japan and the USA will continue to work together (in that effort)".
Although officials acknowledged that they have seen no evidence directly linking Russian Federation to the attacks, the top national security adviser, Army Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, said Russian Federation should be pressed to answer what it knew ahead of the chemical attack since it has placed warplanes and air defense systems with associated troops in Syria since 2015.
"If they disrespect us, and if they cross us, fine".
Senior Russian military officers could face global sanctions for assisting Bashar al Assad's campaign against his own people, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has said.
"We're calling (Russia and Iran) out", Haley added. I can tell you he is tough and he won't be pushed around.
Tillerson and his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, spoke by phone on Saturday, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry, which said the United States had initiated the call.
A joint command centre comprising the forces of President Assad's allies, including Russian Federation and Iran, issued a statement saying the United States strike had crossed "red lines".
The Kremlin said on Monday Tillerson was not scheduled to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin during his visit, a move that could point to tensions. It's unclear how much that agenda has narrowed - but it is quite clear the missile strike is already casting its shadow across the meeting.
The Syrian opposition has reported that Assad's forces have begun flying again from an air base struck last week by US missiles, and Graham says Assad is telling Trump - "F. you' - by resuming those flights".
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