03:00USA: Time has come to stabilise relations with Russia, Tillerson tells State Dept.
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson stated in his first address to State Department employees in Washington DC, Wednesday, that the Trump administration would continue to work on thawing the US’ relationship with Russia.
Tillerson recalled that he had informed Russian President Vladimir Putin during their meeting that "Today there is almost no trust between us,” with Putin reportedly not disagreeing. Tillerson added that now "we have a number of efforts underway to first stabilise the relationship."
With regards to the unfolding situation in the Middle East, Tillerson said that the US was willing to cooperate with Russia, where "the first big area of cooperation which would be Syria, and can we achieve a ceasefire that will hold long enough for us to get a peace process underway."
Tillerson also addressed escalations with North Korea, confirming that the US was ready to push for more sanctions, provided that "North Korea's actions warrant additional sanctions."
As he laid out the US foreign policy agenda under President Donald Trump, the secretary of state said that the 'America First' outlook extended to foreign policy.
"We really have to understand in each country or each region of the world that we are dealing with, what are our national security interests? What are our economic prosperity interests?"
The US Department of State is about to undergo an extensive overhaul, with proposed budget cuts and the elimination of more than 1,700 jobs, according to reports.
03:00US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson stated in his first address to State Department employees in Washington DC, Wednesday, that the Trump administration would continue to work on thawing the US’ relationship with Russia.
Tillerson recalled that he had informed Russian President Vladimir Putin during their meeting that "Today there is almost no trust between us,” with Putin reportedly not disagreeing. Tillerson added that now "we have a number of efforts underway to first stabilise the relationship."
With regards to the unfolding situation in the Middle East, Tillerson said that the US was willing to cooperate with Russia, where "the first big area of cooperation which would be Syria, and can we achieve a ceasefire that will hold long enough for us to get a peace process underway."
Tillerson also addressed escalations with North Korea, confirming that the US was ready to push for more sanctions, provided that "North Korea's actions warrant additional sanctions."
As he laid out the US foreign policy agenda under President Donald Trump, the secretary of state said that the 'America First' outlook extended to foreign policy.
"We really have to understand in each country or each region of the world that we are dealing with, what are our national security interests? What are our economic prosperity interests?"
The US Department of State is about to undergo an extensive overhaul, with proposed budget cuts and the elimination of more than 1,700 jobs, according to reports.