Rex Tillerson flew from Pisa to Moscow yesterday for talks with Vladimir Putin, a leader he has met many times Sasha Mordovets/Getty ImagesAmerican intelligence agencies are scouring Syria for President Assad’s chemical weapons, it emerged yesterday, as the White House accused Russia of trying to cover up the Syrian dictator’s use of nerve gas. As Rex Tillerson, the US secretary of state, arrived in Moscow for what may be tense talks, a senior White House official said that US spies were seeking the remaining stores of nerve gas — potentially readying the way for further US military action. President Putin responded by alleging that the US had been tricked into attacking the Assad regime last week. The Kremlin maintained that the Syrian government had not used chemical weapons and claimed that President Trump had been duped by the “provocations” of rebel groups. Mr Tillerson forged a relationship…

Source: The Times April 11, 2017 23:01 UTC