US-Russia relations at 'all-time low' after Syria attacks

The United States and Russia on Wednesday both presented souring views of the relationship between their two countries, exchanging sharp words as Moscow extended an icy welcome to the United States' top diplomat in a face-off over Syria.

In Washington, US President Donald Trump said the United States' relationship with Moscow "may be at an all-time low."

Trump's comments came after he ordered 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles to be fired at Syria to punish Moscow's ally for its suspected use of poison gas. Russia condemned the US action, accusing it of breaking international law.

Russian President Vladimir Putin was equally pessimistic, saying in an interview broadcast on Russian television, "The level of trust on a working level, especially on the military level, has not improved but has rather deteriorated."

The rhetorical salvos came as US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson received an unusually hostile reception in Moscow.

Tillerson met Putin in the Kremlin after talking to his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, for about three hours. The Kremlin had previously declined to confirm Putin would meet Tillerson, reflecting the renewed tensions.

During the meeting, Lavrov doubled down on Russia's support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, repeating denials that Assad's government was to blame for the gas attack last week and adding a new theory that the attack may have been faked by Assad's enemies.

Tillerson reiterated the US position that Assad must eventually relinquish power in Syria.

"We discussed our view that Russia as their closest ally in the conflict perhaps has the best means of helping Assad recognise this reality," he said.

Earlier, Russia vetoed a draft resolution at the UN Security Council presented by the US, UK and France that would have condemned last week's chemical attack in Syria and demanded that Damascus cooperate with investigators. Trump recently confirmed a significant shift in his positions since taking office nearly three months ago, reaffirming support for Nato, suggesting the alliance was “no longer obsolete.”

While neither Tillerson nor Lavrov cited concrete avenues of cooperation, beyond establishing a working group to address what Tillerson called "smaller issues," Lavrov agreed there were many problems. He stressed that Moscow was "open to dialogue with the US in all different areas." He noted a shared vision of an "uncompromising" war on terrorism.