British Prime Minister Theresa May and US President Donald Trump have agreed there is a "window of opportunity" to persuade Russian Federation to abandon its support for Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, the media reported.
Meeting allies earlier Tuesday in Italy, Tillerson delivered an ultimatum to Russia: Side either with the US and its dozens of coalition partners or face the isolation of a partnership with Assad, Iran and Hezbollah. "Stockpiles and continued use, demonstrate that Russian Federation has failed in its responsibility to deliver on its 2013 commitment", he said.
Retaliating for barrel bombs would require a major shift in US policy since rebels say the weapons are used nearly daily.
"The Syrian government has lost the ability to refuel or rearm aircraft at Shayrat airfield and at this point, use of the runway is of idle military interest", Mattis said, describing the strike as a "measured response". "But what we did not see is a coherent policy on how we're going to deal with the civil war and also deal with ISIS".
"They agreed that US Secretary of State (Rex) Tillerson's visit to Moscow this week provides an opportunity to make progress towards a solution which will deliver a lasting political settlement", he said.
Tillerson flew straight from the G7 meeting in Italy to Moscow, where he will become the first member of Trump's cabinet to meet the Russian administration.
Before heading to Russia, Tillerson told reporters that Moscow had either failed to take seriously its obligation to rid Syria of chemical weapons, or had been incompetent.
"The cancellation of Johnson's visit to Moscow once again confirms doubts regarding the added value of talks with the British, who do not have their own opinion on most of the acute problems and can not really influence worldwide affairs, remaining "in the shadow" of their strategic partners".
It feels very long ago, but after the September 11, 2001, attacks, Russian President Vladimir Putin was the first foreign leader to call Bush, and Russia sent military medical teams as part of the USA -led coalition against al-Qaida and the Taliban in Afghanistan. The official, who wasn't authorized to speak publicly on intelligence matters and demanded anonymity, didn't offer concrete proof and others in the Trump administration cautioned that no final determination of Russia's foreknowledge had been made.
"But in terms of stopping, the chemical weapons attacks against the people of Syria, I hope it succeeds", he said.
The report says that "pro-opposition social media reports" began suggesting an attack shortly before 7 a.m. local time on April 4, while Russia's explanation maintained an airstrike occurred around noon local time.
Mr Tillerson strongly criticised Russian Federation for failing to prevent Syria from carrying out the suspected chemical attack.
North Korea warns of 'war' in response to US Navy moves
That is, Trump says his hand would be forced (in a non-specific way) should China not assist in curtailing North Korea's behavior. He said the United States should not make a pre-emptive strike on the North without the consent of the South Korean people.
Relations between Russian Federation and the U.S. are at "their worst" since the Cold War ended, Russia's Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday. The U.S. and Britain say there is little doubt Assad's forces are culpable.
Tillerson himself raised fresh expectations for aggressive USA action - and not only in Syria - as he visited Sant'Anna di Stazzema, a Tuscan village where the Nazis massacred more than 500 civilians during World War II.
"For Putin, it was a story of misplaced hopes and rejection: he became convinced that, no matter how accommodating he might try to be, Western powers - the United States, above all - had an innate disinclination to treat Russian Federation as a full partner and a respected member of the global order", David Remnick, Evan Osnos and Joshua Yaffa wrote last month in The New Yorker.
Last Thursday 59 Tomahawk missiles were fired on the government-controlled base in the United States' first direct military action against Assad's forces.
Tillerson's comment comes just hours after he said there was no change in US policy on Syria regarding regime change. "But the question of how that ends and the transition itself could be very important in our view to the durability, the stability inside of a unified Syria".
Tillerson spoke after a meeting of the "likeminded" countries was hastily arranged on the sidelines of the summit of the Group of Seven industrialized economies in Italy.
A key focus since the chemical attack has been on increasing pressure on Russia, Assad's strongest ally, which has used its own military to keep Assad in power.
Her comments appeared at odds with those of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who said the USA missile strike was aimed exclusively at deterring the use of chemical weapons by Assad.
The top USA diplomat and Sergei Lavrov will likely talk about what comes next for the two countries.
Putin believes that the European countries, who have been anti-Trump, may back U.S.' decision to launch missile strike in Syria, to restore relations with the U.S.
Russian Federation says the chemicals that killed civilians last week belonged to rebels, not to Assad's government, and has accused the United States of an illegal act of aggression against Syria on a false pretext.
Comments