On that note, the USA secretary of state arrived in Moscow as part of the first official high-level visit by a US official under the Trump administration to meet with his Russian counterpart.
Following a "very frank" meeting with Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, Tillerson admitted the relationship between Russian Federation and the United States is at a "low point", characterized by mistrust, the Hill reports.
The story that Russian Federation allegedly meddled in the United States election has become a dominant narrative for opponents of Donald Trump, who are still trying to explain his surprise victory. "We discussed no change in the status of sanctions that have been in place with Russian Federation as a result of certain actions taken in Ukraine", Tillerson said. "It's very bad for this world", Trump told Fox Business News.
Any hope in Russian Federation the Trump administration would herald less confrontational relations has been dashed in the past week after the new United States leader fired missiles at Syria to punish Moscow's ally for its suspected use of poison gas.
"But when you drop gas, or bombs, or barrel bombs - they have these massive barrels with dynamite and they drop them right in the middle of a group of people. This is an animal".
"I strongly believe the only way to deter Russian Federation is to be strong" as an alliance, he said. "We favour collective actions and we want to know the real intentions of the White House", Sky News reported.
The Foreign Secretary had previously failed to convince the G7 meeting to impose sanctions on Russian Federation for its support of Assad.
Russia's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov had said his country agreed a United Nations investigation into the attack just hours before it vetoed the resolution, which also called for an investigation, on Wednesday.
Assad says army 'gave up' all chemical weapons in 2013
Trust between Russia and the U.S. has degraded under the Trump administration, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated. Others said the statements should clear up any doubts about U.S. -Russia relations.
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.
Assad also said Syria's military had given up all chemical weapons, AFP said on its Twitter account, quoting remarks in an interview with the Syrian president.
Russian military deployments in key global arenas have also reached heights not seen since the Cold War, according to various USA and expert assessments. The US scoops up such a large volume of communications intercepts in areas like Syria and Iraq, the material often is not processed unless there is a particular event that requires analysts to go back and look for supporting intelligence material.
Russian Federation is set to block a push by Western powers at the United Nations later on Wednesday to bolster support for global inquiries into the April 4 toxic gas attack in Syria.
In an interview with the Fox Business Network, Trump said he was not planning to order US forces into Syria, but that he had to respond to the images of dead children poisoned in the gas attack.
He insisted the option of sanctions remained on the table and said there would now be an investigation by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.
Prime Minister Theresa May says she believes it is "highly likely" Mr Assad's forces were behind the deaths in Khan Sheikhoun, adding that "it is only the regime that has the capability to make such an attack".
Lavrov, speaking through a translator, also said special envoys would be appointed to discuss the "irritants" that have "piled up" mostly under the Obama administration. "We are ready to help bring this conflict to an end".
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