US Secretary of State: Washington not tilting towards Russia on Syria

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Friday tried to reassure allies that Washington was not tilting towards Moscow, telling them the United States backed UN efforts to broker a political solution to the Syrian war.

According to officials and diplomats at the meeting, Mr Tillerson said military ties with Russia hinged on its stance towards opposition fighting Assad regime, which Russia backs.

Countries opposed to Assad met on Friday for the first time since Donald Trump took office as US president. The meeting was intended to find common ground ahead of UN-backed peace negotiations in Geneva next week.

All eyes have been on Washington and its approach to ending the war in Syria, given promises by Mr Trump to build closer ties to Russia, especially in the fight against ISIS.