Russia, U.S. agree U.S. strikes on Syria should not be repeated: Lavrov

PanARMENIAN.Net - Russia and the United States have a shared understanding that U.S. air strikes on Syria should not be repeated, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told his Syrian counterpart Walid al-Moualem in Moscow on Thursday, April 13, Reuters reports citing Interfax news agency.

He said this was "concluded" during Wednesday's visit of U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to Moscow.

But in Washington, the U.S. State Department said Tillerson did not eliminate the possibility the United States may undertake future strikes.

"The secretary explained there were no subsequent targets after the missile strike, but he did not rule out any future action," State Department acting spokesman Mark Toner said in a statement.

"He stressed that Russia is in a position to use its influence over the Assad regime to ensure it is never again necessary for the U.S. to act," Toner said.

Earlier, Tillerson said he had a "productive" meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin on Wednesday, despite palpable tension between the U.S. and Russia.

"There is a low level of trust between our two countries," Tillerson said after the meeting. "The world's two foremost nuclear powers cannot have this kind of relationship."