Russia Vetoes UN Resolution On Suspected Chemical Attack In Syria

Vladimir Putin says trust has eroded between the U.S. and Russian Federation under President Donald Trump, as Moscow delivers an unusually hostile reception to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in a face-off over Syria.

Tillerson and Lavrov maintained a diplomatic tone during their chilly joint press conference, but the growing tensions following the USA strike on a Syrian airbase last week in retaliation for Assad's lethal chemical attack on his own people were crystal-clear, as Tillerson suggested war crimes charges could be levied against the Syrian leader and repeated the White House's belief that "the reign of the Assad family is coming to an end". "The world's two foremost nuke powers can not have this kind of relationship".

As Tillerson prepared for hard discussions on Wednesday, the Trump administration leveled its most serious accusations to date against the Syrian and Russian governments, alleging the two had sought to float a series of "false narratives" in the aftermath of last week's deadly sarin gas attack against Syrian civilians.

He said U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is considering the request.

Beyond Syria, Russia's alleged meddling in the US presidential election also hovered over what was the first face-to-face encounter between Putin and any Trump administration Cabinet member.

"To my colleagues from Russian Federation - you are isolating yourselves from the global community every time one of Assad's planes drop another barrel bomb on civilians and every time Assad tries to starve another community to death", Haley said during a Security Council meeting earlier on Wednesday. "We have not seen any facts, or hints at facts".

The palpable tension hanging over Tillerson's trip spoke to a widening chasm between the former Cold War foes.

Trump also warned Russian President Vladimir Putin that in backing Assad, Putin was supporting someone who is "truly an evil person".

"We have seen very alarming actions recently with an unlawful attack against Syria", Lavrov said, referring to the 59 Tomahawk missiles Trump launched at a Syrian air base to punish Assad for using chemical weapons.

"I look forward to a very open, candid, frank exchange so that we can better define the US-Russian relationship from this point forward", he told Lavrov.

Of Assad, Trump added: "This is an animal".

Russian President Vladimir Putin finally shared his thoughts on Donald Trump's decision to attack Syria after Assad reportedly used chemical weapons to attack his own people.

Tillerson conceded the two world powers had "sharp differences" that have obstructed cooperation but voiced optimism they could make progress. It's unclear whether Putin will grant Tillerson a meeting.

But Mr Lavrov said that "ousting a particular personality is not on our agenda".

Hours before Tillerson's visit, however, he ripped into the White House, saying that relations between Moscow and Washington had worsened since President Trump took office.

Syria denies this and Moscow has instead blamed rebel forces, which it says were storing chemical weapons which were hit in the raids.

Intelligence services from several Western countries dispute that claim. They said that they were confident that terrorists do not have access to sarin.

The U.S. also accused Russian Federation of mounting a disinformation campaign aimed at exonerating Assad. "It is clear to all of us that the reign of the Assad family is coming to an end", he told reporters while traveling to Moscow. And Russia's credibility and reputation across the world have been poisoned by its toxic association with Assad. His remarks came as the U.S.' top diplomat said Tuesday that the Syrian leader has no future ruling the war-torn nation.

Since Trump took office in January, he has been confronted by European allies who have fear his administration will go easy on Russian Federation. He also said that Putin had agreed to reactivate a U.S. "There is a presumption of innocence" in Syria, Lavrov said. Tillerson's mission sees the Trump administration taking on the traditional USA role as spokesman for a unified Western position. This will include "business-like, pragmatic" discussions on arms reductions, Lavrov said.