U.S. and Russian Federation at 'low point' after no breakthrough in Moscow

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in a news conference with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson that the two countries had agreed to work together on an worldwide investigation into the attack that prompted retaliatory American missile strikes.

The strike, on a Syrian airfield and nearby military infrastructure, was in response to the Syrian president's use of chemical weapons against civilians in one of the worst attacks in that country's civil war in years.

Tillerson said punitive sanctions for the alleged meddling - imposed by Obama against Moscow in December - were also discussed at Wednesday's meeting. "The world's two foremost nuclear powers can not have this relationship", he said.

In an ominous start to their meeting, Lavrov said it was important for Moscow to understand the "real intentions" of the Trump administration. Administration officials have said their position on the Assad regime has not changed - that they oppose the use of chemical weapons but have no plans to force him from power.

Robert Romano of Americans for Limited Government says the best thing for Tillerson to do is just keep talking.

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

He stressed that a political settlement "is the only way to return Syria to peace and reduce tensions in the Middle East".

The Trump administration says it is spending a disproportionate share on defense compared with its 27 partners, and that it expects action by the time Trump meets with other alliance leaders on May 25.

The Kremlin has been anxious to restart relations with Washington that were largely frozen after the annexation of Crimea three years ago, Lucian notes.

There is no evidence to support Russian claims that last week's poison gas attack in Syria was fabricated, a separate White House official said.

Russia's top diplomat accused the United States on Wednesday of carrying out an unlawful attack against Syrian President Bashar Assad's forces as he opened a fraught meeting with visiting U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

Tillerson, whom Putin awarded the Order of Friendship in 2012, was perhaps best suited for the mission of reestablishing communications. Tillerson formerly led Exxon Mobil's oil operations in Russian Federation, as NPR's Colin Dwyer has reported.

As Tillerson landed in Moscow, senior White House officials briefed reporters on declassified USA intelligence they said disproved Russia's claim that rebels were responsible for the chemical weapons.

After a day of discussions with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the former Cold War foes agreed a probe of events in northern Syria on April 4 was necessary.

"We have seen very alarming actions recently with an unlawful attack against Syria", Lavrov said, referring to the USA cruise missile attack Trump ordered.

White House spokesman Sean Spicer on Wednesday said that the president was not ruling out another attack on Syrian government installations if Assad continued to use chemical weapons against civilians. The Kremlin had previously declined to confirm Putin would meet Tillerson, reflecting tensions over the USA strike on Syria.

The Russian Minister, added that recent U.S. statements have been issued "alongside some alarming actions, notably the illegal attack against Syria".

Lavrov said that Russian Federation considers, "it crucially important to prevent a repetition of such actions in the future". Russia's Foreign Ministry dismissed Tillerson's remarks Wednesday.

Lavrov told Tillerson Moscow was hoping to understand Washington's "real intentions" and warned that the Kremlin considered it "fundamentally important" to prevent more "unlawful" United States strikes against its ally Syria. Making little to no eye contact, Tillerson and Lavrov gripped hands and wore expressions that ranged mainly from grim to flat before a phalanx of photographers. They are scheduled to hold a joint news conference amid growing indications that Tillerson might meet personally with Putin.

One of Lavrov's deputies was even more undiplomatic.

At the joint press conference, Lavrov also extensively criticized past US foreign policy, from Iraq to Yugoslavia.

In an interview broadcast Wednesday, President Trump sharply dialed up the rhetoric on Syria, calling Assad "an animal" whose regime was saved by Russian intervention.

White House spokesman Sean Spicer later told reporters that the facts backed up the US version of events.

Later on Friday, President Trump addressed Tillerson's efforts during a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation press conference. "I would like to think that they didn't know but certainly they could have". But while Mr Tillerson tamed some of the more provocative language he had used towards Russian Federation in recent days, he said the two countries continued to "diverge" on key issues. "We're not going into Syria", Trump told Fox News on Tuesday. And that could happen.

Boris Johnson has urged Russian Federation to stop "acting as a lifeline for Assad's murderous regime" in Syria and instead to "live up to its responsibilities as a global power". "I can only tell you what I would like to do".

Missing some content? Care to comment? "I would love to be able to get along with everybody".