Secretary of State Rex Tillerson questioned on Thursday Russia's competence in ensuring all chemical weapons were removed from Syria. Tillerson's comments came after President Donald Trump ordered an airstrike on a Syrian airbase Thursday night in response to the Syrian government allegedly killing 100 Syrians on Tuesday in a sarin gas attack, according to Fox News.
Tillerson told reporters the United States had high confidence that the Syrian government possessed chemical weapons, which directly violates Syria's agreement to dispose of their chemical weapons under Russian supervision.
"Clearly Russia has failed in its responsibility to deliver on that commitment. Either Russia has been complicit or simply incompetent on delivering its end of that agreement," Tillerson said.
The Trump administration has increased its focus on Russia's handling of Syria. U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley attacked Russian inaction during a U.N. Security Council meeting on Wednesday, NBC News reported.
"How many more children have to die before Russia cares? The U.S. sees yesterday's attack as a disgrace at the highest level — an assurance that humanity means nothing to the Syrian government," Haley said.
While Tillerson and Haley both specifically targeted Russia in their statements, Trump made no mention of the nation in his comments announcing the strike on the Syrian airfield.