This photo sums up how Rex Tillerson's trip to Moscow is going
Based on this photo of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, snapped at his meeting Wednesday with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, his trip to Russia isn't exactly a walk in the park so far:
During the meeting, Lavrov apparently told Tillerson that Russia was having trouble discerning the "real intentions" of the Trump administration amid "very ambiguous" and "contradictory" statements. Lavrov also called President Trump's missile strike on Syria last week "unlawful." Just as Tillerson and Lavrov were meeting, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told reporters that "primitiveness and loutishness are very characteristic of the current rhetoric coming out of Washington."
Tillerson later sat down with Russian President Vladimir Putin, after Russia initially declined to say whether Tillerson would be able to meet with Putin. Earlier Wednesday, Putin announced that Russia's relationship with the U.S. has "deteriorated" amid accusations of Russia's support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, whom the White House has blamed for the chemical attack in Syria that killed dozens. The Trump administration has accused Moscow of attempting to help cover up Assad's use of chemical weapons.
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Details and photos of Tillerson's sit-down with Putin have yet to be released, as Tillerson reportedly ditched his press pool before the meeting and no agenda was made available. The Associated Press reported the leaders were expected to discuss who was responsible for last week's chemical attack in Syria, which provoked the retaliatory U.S. strike; Russia's interference in Ukraine; and the alleged meddling by Russian operatives in the U.S. presidential election.
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