Tillerson, meanwhile, used meetings Monday with foreign ministers from the Group of 7 industrialized economies, known as the G7, to try to persuade them to forge a unified response to the situation in Syria. Russia was kicked out of G7, formerly known as the G8, in 2014, following its controversial annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea region and assistance for pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.
After meeting with Tillerson, British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said the group was discussing possible sanctions against Russian backers of President Bashar Assad — as part of an effort to push the Kremlin to abandon its support of the Syrian strongman — as well as against Syrian officials.
On Tuesday morning, Tillerson will meet again with various foreign government officials about Syria, including many from Arab nations, before traveling to Moscow to sit down with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
They have a lot to talk about.