United States says chemical weapons attack in Syria was ‘war crime’

Lavrov added: “Yesterday, we discussed in detail (with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson) the need to step up Russian-American efforts towards mobilizing the global community to fight terrorism, and reminded him that US actions like the strikes against Syria on April 7 are at variance with this task”. Russian Federation says rebels were responsible for whatever chemical agent was used, which the Trump administration calls a disinformation campaign.

Lavrov told reporters there are issues to be overcome. “The world’s two foremost nuclear powers can not have this relationship”, he said.

Mr Tillerson, who also met Mr Putin during the visit, acknowledged the two world powers had “sharp differences”. “I like to think they didn’t know”.

Russian Federation says the chemicals that killed civilians last week belonged to rebel forces, not Assad’s government, and accused the U.S. of acting on a false pretext.

The talks got off to a frosty start, with the Russian politician branding the American cruise missile strike “illegal” and criticising “confusing and sometimes openly contradictory ideas” from the Trump administration on the US-Russia relationship and worldwide issues.

The chemical attack killed about 80 people and injured many more, yet Russian Federation does not seem to want to budge from its position of support for Syrian President Bashar Assad.

As both sides sought to find some common ground Mr Tillerson said there was a “low level of trust” between the USA and Russian Federation and pledged to increase communication between Washington and Moscow.

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem said the meeting sent a “strong message” to Washington.

In Russia’s view, the probe conducted by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons should be widened to include experts from many nations, he said.

But such hopes appeared optimistic as the diplomats outlined their sharply diverging views on Syria. As we consider our responsibilities and options, I believe it is important to distinguish between the broader civil war and the Syrian regime’s recent and prospective use of chemical weapons. Could World War 3 happen this year?

While the most immediate U.S.

“Russia’s initiative in 2013 to dismantle Syria’s chemical weapons has been exposed as a shambles”.

Tillerson was greeted frostily in the Russian capital as Lavrov began their meeting Wednesday by demanding to know America’s “real intentions”.

While the missile strikes against Assad have sparked new calls for a war vote, some lawmakers say the focus should still be on an authorization against ISIS, especially if the strikes on the Assad regime were just a one-time response to the chemical weapons attack.

Trump and others have indeed threatened similar action.

“Not everybody is happy about the progress that we ensured together with our Turkish and Iranian counterparts, as well as with the Syrian government and Kazakhstan, while the United States participated as an observer at the Astana talks”, Lavrov said.

Even if the U.S. and Russian Federation were able to quell the festering antagonism over Syria, other issues are fraying relations.

“I felt we had to do something about it”.