US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has warned that trust between Moscow and Washington has plunged to a “low level” amid rising tensions over the war in Syria.
America’s top diplomat said the world's “two foremost nuclear powers cannot have this kind of relationship” during a tense joint news conference with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
Mr Lavrov said he and Mr Tillerson covered a whole host of issues including Syria, Ukraine, and allegations of Russia’s interference in the 2016 US presidential election.
Despite the State Department suggesting otherwise the nearly two hour meeting between Mr Tillerson and Russian President Vladimir Putin was unscheduled, but not unexpected.
Ahead of the off-camera meeting, Mr Putin also noted in an interview that “one could say that the level of trust on a working level, especially on the military level, has not improved, but rather has deteriorated.”
Mr Putin had anything but warm relations with former President Obama, which makes his latest statement all the more worrying.
Tensions flared recently when the US, after warning Russian forces in the area, launched nearly 60 missiles into Syria in response to the 4 April sarin attack on civilians in the Idlib province.
The attack resulted in nearly 100 deaths, with horrific video footage of the victims - many of them children.
The images “moved” President Trump and he had established his “redline” with the use of chemical weapons, though the Idlib attack was not the first or worst chemical attack during his young administration.
The attack also prompted a strong response from US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley in front of the Security Council, saying the Russians either “incompetent” or “played for fools” by the Assad regime.
Russia had committed to the Security Council to eliminate chemical weapons stockpiles in Syria and the Russian representative to the UN, Vladimir Safronov, said there was no evidence to prove the Assad regime were the ones to carry out the attack since some stockpiles were controlled by opposition groups.
However, US Secretary of Defence James Mattis said there was “no doubt” it was the Assad regime based on US intelligence.
Mr Tillerson repeated that the US was “quite confident” that the Assad regime were responsible.
He also noted that despite Russian and Syrian regime forces being located in the same area, there was no evidence that Moscow knew about the chemical attack before it happened.
Both he and Mr Lavrov agreed during their meeting in Moscow that an investigation into the incident should take place and that it should be conducted by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, an international body monitoring the use of such weapons in countries that have signed on to a 1997 treaty.
Mr Lavrov said Russia is urging Mr Assad, as the “legitimate government,” to allow experts access to the chemical weapon attack site as well as the airfield where it is said to have originated.
Despite the agreement, on 12 April Russia vetoed a UN Security Council resolution regarding Syria intended to put an end to the conflict.
Mr Lavrov noted during the news conference that Russia is not disputing that chemical weapons were used, but that the council should not use language that assumes the the Assad regime is responsible without a proper investigation.
Mr Lavrov repeatedly stressed that the investigation should be “impartial” and “objective.”
Should the UN or The Hague “shirk from this investigation” that they do not want the truth, Mr Lavrov commented.
Ms Haley once again took a strong stance against Russia, as their eighth such veto was expected.
She said Mr Assad “mocked every assurance Russia gave [the Security Council] that chem weapons would not be used.”
“Month after month we say the same thing...there is no military solution but look at what happens on ground,” Ms Haley said, expressing some frustration.
She noted that the US will not support any alternative resolution “that provides cover for [Mr Assad] to stall for time as he slaughters,” adding that the US does not believe in a Syrian future that includes the current regime remaining in power.
The fate of Mr Assad is where a major divergence of opinions on how to end the conflict occurs.
US officials were not always consistent in recent weeks about their Syria policy and some pundits argued there is no set policy to be clear about.
However, the administration has become slightly more coherent since the 6 April US missile strike. Mr Tillerson and Ms Haley both noted on 12 April that there is no room for Mr Assad in Syria’s future.
Mr Tillerson said during the news conference that though the Assad regime should leave power in an “orderly way,” it was up to the “political process” determined by the Syrian people to determine exactly how that happens.
Russia as “an ally has the best means of making [Mr Assad] understand this reality,” Mr Tillerson said.
Mr Lavrov articulated the Russian position as such: “it is possible to overcome [Isis] without overturning the regime. If we overturn Assad, we may lose fight against” the terrorist group.
He cited evidence of the US’ justification for overthrowing Saddam Hussein in Iraq, based on the unverified claim of “weapons of mass destruction” as well the turmoil in the wake of the death of Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi.
He also expressed “suspicion” over US support within Syria. The opposition to Mr Assad is clear, but Mr Lavrov blamed the Obama administration for their support of the Jabat al Nusra opposition group, who the Russians contend are also a danger.
Russia thinks “al-Nusra was always spared…[and we think] is still spared” as part of a “plan B” to overthrow Mr Assad once the group is able to take over the capital of Damascus, Mr Lavrov posited.
Though there were several other points of disagreement, Mr Trump said he felt his Secretary of State’s meeting was “very successful.”
There were some points of discussion which seemed to inspire a bit of optimism in Mr Tillerson.
Mr Lavrov said the Kremlin was willing to reinstate an air safety agreement aimed at preventing accidents between US and Russian jets. The agreement was put on hold in the wake of the US missile strike.
Mr Tillerson noted also that the two sides also agreed to set up a “working group” in order to “stabilise” the relationship and be able to discuss larger issues.
He did not say what specific topics this special group, consisting of foreign ministry staffers from both countries, would discuss.
However several thorny topics remain on the table like Ukraine, which Mr Tillerson noted was essential to strengthening US-Russia ties.
Then there is the allegations of Russian cyber criminals interference into the US presidential election through the hacking of the Democratic National Committee offices as well as the rampant spread of fake news sites that may have negatively affected the public perception of Mr Trump’s opponent Hillary Clinton.
It is widely noted that Mr Putin and Ms Clinton had an icy relationship when she was Secretary of State as well.
Mr Lavrov said repeatedly that the US has not shown any evidence of Russian tampering to the Kremlin on the matter and that several questions remain unanswered.
He once again blamed the Obama administration for their lack of action on a special project to combat cyber crime that Russia had approached the US with “18 months ago.”
“We still have the project on the table,” Mr Lavrov said.
He did agree though that the overall discussion was “productive,” as Mr Tillerson put it.
“The common threat is obvious” said Mr Lavrov, referring to combating terror attacks on both Americans and Russians.
