World leaders had wanted an investigation into the chemical attack in Idlib last week, which prompted a retaliatory U.S. missile strike. However, while Lavrov said that he didn't want to "shield anyone", he asserted once again that Russian Federation didn't believe the Syrian government was behind the chemical attack in the town of Khan Sheikhoun in Idlib, Syria.
Moscow last week suspended its memorandum with the Washington after its missile attack on Syrian military air base.
Rex Tillerson gave his frank assessment at a news conference following two hours of talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin. Putin quickly invited the Syrian and Iranian foreign ministers to Moscow on Friday, the day after Tillerson departs.
On Tuesday, the White House accused Russian Federation of trying to cover up Assad's responsibility in the Syrian sarin gas attacks. "We hope that the USA president will become aware of that analysis", he said Thursday. "We don't know. Nobody has shown us anything". The strike was in retaliation for a Syrian chemical attack against anti-government fighters in Idlib province.
Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson met with Vladimir Putin in Russian Federation.
Hours before the Moscow talks began, both sides also drew their respective lines on some key issues: Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reiterated Moscow's continued support for Assad, while Tillerson telephoned Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on April 11 to reiterate USA support for Ukraine's territorial integrity and the fulfillment of the Minsk Accords to end the conflict in East Ukraine.
Although Tillerson made reference to potential sanctions, he confirmed that no further ones had been brought up in today's meeting beyond those already in place between the two nations.
FBI investigated Trump campaign advisors Russian Federation links
And so ever since basically the summer, the end of the summer, you've seen the administration really distance itself from Page. Its story is based on interviews with law enforcement and USA officials who spoke on the condition that they remain anonymous.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (L) and US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson arrive to attend a press conferece after their talks in Moscow on April 12, 2017.
Still, Tillerson sought to stress the positives from his meetings.
In a move that slightly softened the atmosphere, Lavrov said Putin had agreed to restore a U.S. -Russia air safety agreement covering Syria which Moscow suspended in retaliation for the U.S. missile strikes. Until the chemical attack, the Trump administration had sought to step back from the United States position that Assad should leave power.
He also rejected American claims of incontrovertible evidence that Assad ordered the chemical attack. "Russia is engaged in a very sophisticated propaganda and disinformation campaign that is created to allow the Assad regime escape responsibility". As you know, Secretary of State Tillerson is in Moscow.
President Trump said Wednesday it's "unlikely" that Russian Federation had prior knowledge of Syria's plan to launch a chemical attack on its own citizens, but he did not rule out the possibility. It's unclear whether Putin will grant Tillerson a meeting.
From the moment he stepped foot in the White House, President Donald Trump has been dogged by his perceived warming to Russian Federation and his open admiration of President Vladimir Putin. The tense back-and-forth over last week's deadly chemical attack in Syria has added to the strain.
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