Trump declares US-Russia relations may be at "all-time low"

USA intelligence agencies have said that Russian Federation meddled in US presidential campaign and election to help Donald Trump win.

Putin, whom USA intelligence agencies say tried to help Trump get elected, insisted that relations with the US had only gone downhill since Trump took office in January. "(...) Clearly, our view is that the reign of the Assad family is coming to an end, and they have again brought this on themselves with their conduct of the war of these past few years", said Tillerson. Conflicts over Russia's actions in Ukraine and Russia's alleged interference in the USA presidential campaign were also likely topics. The meeting was steeped in geopolitical intrigue, with neither country saying ahead of time if it would take place or not.

For Vladimir Putin, every aspect of the war in Syria begins with the premise that President Bashar al-Assad has been from the start of the uprising in 2011 an innocent victim, whose completely legitimate, Alawite-led government has been attacked by Sunni Muslim extremists, armed and funded by the Gulf states, Turkey and the United States.

"Despite the quantity of existing problems. there are considerable prospects for joint work", Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov told a news conference after talks with Tillerson and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Lavrov says Russian Federation has lots of questions about the "very ambiguous" and "contradictory" ideas coming from the U.S. He says through a translator that it's important for Russian Federation to understand the "real intentions" of the Trump administration.

He hit back at remarks Tillerson made a day earlier that Russian Federation would have to decide whether it was with the United States and the West in standing up against Assad, or against them, describing the comments as "wrong choices".

"We both have agreed our lines of communication shall always remain open", Tillerson said. But after last week's chemical weapons attack their relationship is increasingly becoming a burden for Putin, jeopardizing chances for improved relations with the U.S.

"We had finished dinner, we were now having dessert, and we had the most lovely piece of chocolate cake that you've ever seen, and President Xi was enjoying it, and I was given the message from the generals that the ships are locked and loaded", said Trump.

"Are we going to get involved with Syria?"

Lavrov said Wednesday that Moscow hasn't seen "a single fact, or even a hint at facts" proving the USA allegations of Russian interference. "We have not seen a single fact, or even a hint of facts", he said. The less-than-positive assessments of relations by both Trump and Tillerson reflected the former Cold War foes' inability to forge greater cooperation, as Trump until recently has advocated.

Only weeks ago, it appeared that Trump, who praised Putin throughout the USA election campaign, was poised for a potentially historic rapprochement with Russian Federation. Any expectations of an easy rapport have crashed into reality amid the nasty back-and-forth over Syria and ongoing USA investigations into Russia's activity connected to the US presidential election. "I think it's very bad for Russian Federation". Trump says it's also "very bad for mankind". The United Kingdom therefore shares the U.S. assessment that it is highly likely that the regime was responsible for a Sarin attack on Khan Shaykhun on the 4th April. And Putin, who US intelligence agencies say tried to help Trump get elected, insisted that relations with the USA had only gone downhill since Trump took office in January.

But Putin said in an interview with state-run MIR television station that relations had only deteriorated. Moscow has strenuously objected to Trump's decision to launch 59 U.S. Tomahawk missiles at a Syrian air base that the U.S. says was used to pummel civilians with nerve gas, resulting in 87 deaths.

US Defense Secretary James Mattis has said that while defeating ISIS was first priority, further use of chemical weapons by the Assad regime would not be tolerated and could warrant additional military action.