washington u.s. secretary state rex tillerson visit moscow week early test whether trump administration use momentum generate missile attack syrian air base craft execute strategy end syrian war even trump order last week strike retaliation nerve gas attack tillerson visit certain dominate thorny issue include russian interference 2016 u.s. election apparent violation important arm control treaty see cooperation possible fight islamic state tillerson former oil executive diplomatic experience charge avoid major u.s. confrontation russia exact concessions moscow include get rid syrian president bashar al-assad remain chemical weapons press assad negotiate syria future kremlin say monday tillerson schedule meet russian president vladimir putin visit move could point tensions may also suggest tillerson instead follow strict diplomatic protocol meet direct counterpart russian foreign minister sergei lavrov state department say last week meet confirm putin meet tillerson texan head exxon mobil russia along iran assad primary backer intervention syria war crucial ensure grip power although long entire country tillerson say see hard evidence russia know ahead time chemical weapons attack kill least 70 people plan urge moscow rethink support assad april 12 talk hopeful constructive talk russian government foreign minister lavrov russia supportive process lead stable syria tillerson tell abc week sunday u.s. cruise missile strike thursday mean dissuade assad use chemical weapons give tillerson credibility russian officials boost efforts observers former officials say demonstration administration willingness use force potential add leverage diplomacy say antony blinken deputy former secretary state john kerry u.s. strike order less three days gas attack could make clear russia unite state hold moscow accountable assad blinken say tillerson ought matter fact meet blinken say send russia message rein take action tillerson say thursday russia fail responsibility remove syria chemical weapons 2013 agreement argue show russia either complicit gas attack simply incompetent secure russian commitment eliminate assad chemical weapons likely first agenda say evelyn farkas former deputy assistant secretary defense obama administration talk major test tillerson diplomatic skills former chief executive exxon mobil experience business russia background often public negotiations international diplomacy require also unclear trump express skepticism multilateral institutions european union unite nations patience protract negotiations comprehensive deal syria would require russia condemn missile strike illegal putin say would harm u.s.-russia tie moscow also say would keep military channel communication open washington would exchange information unforeseen turn events trump praise putin repeatedly last year election campaign say would like work closely russia defeat islamic state week ago top administration officials signal remove assad long u.s. priority one senior official say significant russia suspend cancel cooperation unite state air strike lavrov cancel tillerson visit moscow suggest russia may will tolerate single strike weekend talk still go try draw line around incident say alexander vershbow former u.s. ambassador russia george w. bush administration still give work trump administration trump administration also want keep focus syria defeat islamic state rather open conflict russia syria government another u.s. official say one hope moscow see tillerson visit discussion cooperate stop assad use ban weapons tacit acknowledgement russia great power status one putin main ambition strike necessarily bad thing russia say andrew tabler fellow washington institute near east policy russia hard time get president assad come negotiate table kind meaningful way tabler say russians point u.s. strike price intransigence assad version story correct paragraph remove sentence tillerson meet putin wednesday tillerson face tough talk moscow amid increase tensions