Syria looms over Tillerson visit to Moscow

TO REACH ACROSS THE TOABLE TO
SECRETARY TILLERSON AND SAY
LET'S DO SOMETHING TO ADVANCE
THE BALL TOWARD A POLITICAL
SOLUTION IN SYRIA?
>> THAT CERTAINLY IS NOT THE
TONE THAT THIS HAS TAKEN SO FAR.
AS YOU SAID, IT'S BEEN
SURPRISINGLY SORT OF -- THERE
ISN'T -- THEY'RE NOT REALLY EVEN
TIPTOEING AROUND THE FACT THAT
BOTH SIDES ARE FEELING PRETTY
AGGRESSIVE ABOUT THIS.
SO, YOU KNOW, THERE'S ALWAYS A
CHANCE OF IT, ESPECIALLY WITH
THE BACKGROUNDS MUCH TILLERSON
AND TRUMP AND WITH PUTIN YOU
WOULD THINK THAT'S POSSIBLE, BUT
AT THIS POINT IT DOESN'T LOOK
LIKE IT.
>> YOU THINK IT'S POSSIBLE, BUT
IF YOU LOOK BACK IN HISTORY,
EVERY TIME A NEW SECRETARY OF
STATE, NEW ADMINISTRATION HAS
GONE ON THE FIRST TRIP TO
MOSCOW, THEY'VE HAD A MEETING
WITH PUTIN.
MAYBE IT WILL HAPPEN, BUT
THERE'S NO PUTIN MEETING ON THE
SCHEDULE.
BUT ESPECIALLY BECAUSE THESE TWO
MEN KNOW EACH OTHER AND KNOW
EACH OTHER WELL.
THAT'S PUTIN MAKING A POINT.
>> I DON'T NECESSARILY THINK
IT'S IN PUTIN'S BEST INTEREST TO
BE FRIENDS WITH THE U.S. RIGHT
NOW.
PUTIN AND RUSSIA NEED AN ENEMY.
HE'S STRONGEST WHEN HE HAS THE
U.S. AS AN ENEMY.
SO YES, THEY WOULD LIKE
SANCTIONS LIFTED.
THEY WOULD LIKE ECONOMIC
CONDITIONS IMPROVED.
BUT IT'S NOT NECESSARILY IN HIS
INTEREST TO HAVE TRUMP AND HIM
AND TILLERSON LOOKING BUDDY
BUDDY AS FAR AS IT'S PROJECTED
TO HIS PEOPLE.
>> IT WILL BE INTERESTING TO
HEAR WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE'S
MESSAGE IS GOING TO BE
ESPECIALLY AFTER PUTIN'S
PROVOCATIVE REMARKS FROM THIS
MORNING.
WHAT DOES SPICER SAY AT THE 1:30
BRIEFING THIS AFTERNOON?
YOU'VE HEARD A SHARP TONE FROM
OTHER PEOPLE IN THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION, TILLERSON MOST
RECENTLY, BUT YOU HAVEN'T HEARD
AS MUCH FROM THE WHITE HOUSE
ITSELF, CERTAINLY NOT FROM
PRESIDENT TRUMP ABOUT PUTIN,
ABOUT RUSSIA'S ALLIANCE WITH THE
ASSAD REGIME.
TO WHAT EXTENT DO WE START
HEARING THAT DIRECTLY FROM THE
PRESIDENT AND FROM THE WHITE
HOUSE I THINK WILL BE A KEY
QUESTION TODAY IN GOING FORWARD.
>> I THINK IT'S AN INTERESTING
SHIFT AND TODAY THEY'RE SUPPOSED
TO RELEASE A DOCUMENT ABOUT
GOING AFTER RUSSIA ABOUT
DISINFORMATION CAMPAIGNS, ABOUT
WHAT HAPPENED IN SYRIA.
OBVIOUSLY WITH TILLERSON NOT
MEETING WITH PUTIN IT'S AN
INTERESTING SHIFT.
YOU OFTEN SEE SHIFTS, BUT IT
DOES NOT NECESSARILY DOCTRINE O.
THEY ARE SOMEWHAT DIS
INCENTIVIZED TO HAVE
TILLERSON --
>> THE RUSSIANS HAVE ALREADY PUT
ON THE RECORD TILLERSON WILL
MEET WITH SERGEY LAVROV WHO
AFTER THAT IS DONE WILL MEET
WITH THE MINISTERS OF SYRIA AND
IRAN.
THE RUSSIANS HAVE MADE CLEAR WE
KNOW WHO OUR FRIENDS ARE.
WE HAVE TO HAVE THE MEETING WITH
THE UNITED STATES AND THEN WE'LL
MOVE TO THIS.
THE BIG QUESTION IS WHAT
TRANSACTION IS TOILLERSON TRYIN
TO DO?
HE WANTS TO TELL THE RUSSIANS I
THINK YOU'RE MAKING THE WRONG
CHOICE, YOU'RE LINED UP WITH THE
WRONG PEOPLE, THE SYRIANS AND
THE IRANIANS.
THE PROBLEM IS THAT'S A CASE
THAT'S BEEN MADE BEFORE.
>> I THINK IT'S ALSO WORTH
THINKING ABOUT, RUSSIA HAS
REALLY ALIGNED ITSELF WITH THE
ASSAD REGIME, THE IRANIANS .
IS THAT A LONG-TERM ALLIANCE
THAT SERVES RUSSIA'S INTEREST?
>> IF THEY'RE SERVE TO SUPPORT
THE ASSAD REGIME THEY HAVE MADE
A MISTAKE BECAUSE THEY WILL BE
SIDING WITH ASSAD, R WITH IRAN,
AGAINST THE ENTIRE REST OF THE
COMMUNITY IN THAT PART OF THE
WORLD.
>> THAT IS NOT TO CRITICIZE
ANYTHING SECRETARY TILLERSON
SAID THERE BECAUSE THAT IS THE
RATIONAL ARGUMENT FELT YOU WANT
TO BE WITH US OR YOU WANT TO BE
WITH THEM, IRAN, ASSAD, PRETTY
LONG LIST OF ATROCITIES.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT HOW CLOSE
SECRETARY TILLERSON IS TO
SECRETARY KERRY.
THE SAME LIST OF BAD OPTIONS FOR
THE TRUMP PRESIDENCY THAT THEY
FACED IN THE OBAMA PRESIDENCY.
>> THIS HAS ALWAYS BEEN AN
IMPOSSIBLE SITUATION AND THAT
WAS WHY IT WAS SO DIFFICULT FOR
OBAMA BEFORE AND THIS IS I THINK
ANOTHER INSTANCE OF DONALD TRUMP
THE CHANGE AGENT AND SHAKER UP
OF WASHINGTON RUNNING SMACK DAB
INTO REALITY.
RUNNING INTO THE COMPLICATED
SITUATIONS THAT LEADERS FACE
WHEN, YOU KNOW, HIS CAMPAIGN AND
HIS MESSAGE HAS BEEN SO SORT OF
GLIB ON THESE THINGS.
>> YOU HEARD A LOT OF REPUBLICAN
LEADERS WHEN YOU ASKED THEM
ABOUT TRUMP'S RELATIONSHIP WITH
PUTIN, DOES THAT CONCERN YOU,
ABOUT HIS WELLINGNESS TO WORK
WITH PUTIN.
THEY'VE SAID, INCLUDING MITCH
McCONNELL SAID ONCE HE STARTS
DEALING WITH RUSSIA, IT'S GOING
TO BE A LOT MORE DIFFICULT.
HE'S GOING TO LEARN WHAT OTHER
LEADERS LEARNED, WHAT GEORGE W.
BUSH MEANT WHEN HE SAID YOU CAN
LOOK INTO PUTIN'S SOUL.
THIS IS A REALIZATION THAT THERE
ARE STRATEGIC INTERESTS THAT
RUSSIA HAS IN SYRIA.
THEY CAN'T JUST TURN ON A DIME
AND CHANGE THEIR POSITION THAT
THEY'VE HAD FOR YEARS BECAUSE
THEY'RE VITAL TO NATIONAL
SECURITY FOR THEIR OWN COUNTRY
AND DIRECTLY AT ODDS WITH THE
UNITED STATES.
>> I WAS WATCHING SENATOR
LINDSEY GRAHAM WHO WAS ON WITH
KATE BALDWIN AND HE WAS PRAISING
THE PRESIDENT.
PRAISING HIM FOR THE TOUGHER
TONE TOWARD MOSCOW, TRYING TO
PUSH HIM TO DO OTHER THINGS I'M
NOT SURE THEY'RE PREPARED TO DO.
THE

Syria looms over Tillerson visit to Moscow

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