Tillerson: Trump has been clear he wants to rebuild Russia relationship

by Rebecca Savransky - 06/06/17 7:25 AM ET

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Tuesday said President Trump has made it clear the U.S. should work to rebuild its relationship with Russia.

During a news conference in New Zealand, Tillerson was asked whether he is concerned that the U.S. political crisis regarding the Russia probe could take down the Trump administration.

“I can’t really comment on any of that because I don’t have any direct knowledge,” Tillerson said, regarding issues related to the probe into the Russian meddling in the U.S. election.

He added that the president has been clear that Russia is an “important global player,” noting that the U.S. relationship with Russia is at a low point and is deteriorating.

{mosads}”The president’s been clear to me: do not let what’s happened over here in the political realm prevent you from the work that you need to do on this relationship and he’s been quite clear with me… that we might make progress,” Tillerson said. “I’m really not involved in any of these other issues.”

The comments come after Trump decried the investigation into the Russian meddling in the U.S. election as a “witch hunt.”

They also come just days before former FBI Director James Comey is set to appear before the Senate Intelligence Committee, where he is expected to be asked about details of his conversations with the president.

During the trip, Tillerson also said the U.S. believes that “engaging globally remains important.”

“And we will be seeking ways to remain engaged and there are many ways we can do that, through the U.N. intergovernmental panel on climate change as well as economic and trade forums that we will obviously be very active in as well,” he said.

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