Russia vetoes UN draft resolution on Syria gas attack probe

Tillerson’s trip to Russia, his first as secretary of state, followed just days after a US missile strike against the regime of Assad, a Russian ally.

Mr Trump said Mr Tillerson had completed a successful meeting with Mr Putin, where “things went pretty well”.

“Talking about the whole of the Syrian government, we want it to be democratic, and we want it to be secular as well”, he said.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Wednesday Moscow and Washington were committed to fighting terrorism after talks with his United States counterpart Rex Tillerson.

Peskov also said Putin had given Tillerson his views on the situation in Syria, and how it was likely to develop.

U.S. President Donald Trump, speaking at an event in the White House, said he was not surprised by China’s abstention.

“We insists on the most thorough, independent, objective investigation of this incident”, Lavrov said of the reported April 4 chemical attack in Khan Shaykhun.

“The world’s two foremost nuclear powers can not have this type of relationship”, Mr Tillerson warned. “Russian Federation is open to dialogues with the U.S.in different areas, and not only to dialogues but also to joint actions”, he said. Amid a fierce dispute over Syria, the United States and Russian Federation agreed Wednesday to work together on an worldwide investigation of a Syrian chemical weapons attack last week.

He said: “So Russia faces a choice: it can continue acting as a lifeline for Assad’s murderous regime, or it could live up to its responsibilities as a global power, and use its influence over the regime to bring six long years of failed ceasefires and false dawns to an end”.

He maintained that his government handed over all its chemical weapons stockpiles in 2013 and could not have been behind last week’s suspected sarin attack.

Russian Federation said the gas was part of rebel stockpiles, which the rebels have denied.

Tillerson met Putin in the Kremlin after talking to his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, for about three hours.

Lavrov said that Russian Federation is open to resuming a military deconfliction channel with the United States related to Syrian airspace.

Mr Lavrov admitted relations between the two nations “are not the most calm” and some issues were “time bombs” inherited from the Obama administration. Both also agreed on the need to defeat the Islamic State (ISIS).

“It is clear to us the reign of the Assad family is coming to an end”, he told reporters in Italy.

Can Russia abandon Assad?

Tillerson reiterated the USA belief that Assad ordered the attack, though he stepped back from the United States charge that Russia was covering up Assad’s culpability.”With respect to Russia’s complicity or knowledge of the chemical weapons attack, we have no firm information to indicate that there was any involvement by Russia, Russian forces into this attack”, he said.

The Russian government has condemned the missile strikes by the United States on a Syrian airbase last Thursday, calling Washington’s move “aggression against a sovereign state in violation of global law”.

“Those steps are under way”, he said.

That amounted to the following offer: Be nice, Assad, distance yourself from Iran and we’ll accept a solution to the Syrian civil war that leaves you in power.