Stakes Are Heightened as Tillerson Arrives in Moscow

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, pictured earlier this month, said Russia has failed in its commitment to guarantee a Syria free of chemical weapons.

MOSCOW—Secretary of State Rex Tillerson arrived in Moscow on Tuesday to face what might be his toughest test yet as chief diplomat as he seeks to convince Russia to back away from its support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

The visit, Mr. Tillerson’s first as secretary of State, comes as hopes for a broader U.S.-Russian rapprochement have dimmed and as ties between the two former Cold War foes have further soured over President Donald Trump’s decision last week to strike a Syrian air base in response to Mr. Assad’s suspected deadly chemical weapons attack on April 4.

He arrived Tuesday following a two-day stop in Italy for a meeting with top officials Group of 7 member countries—the U.S., U.K., France, Germany, Italy, Canada and Japan. Before leaving Italy, he issued a new U.S. demand for the eventual removal of Mr. Assad, who is blamed by the U.S. and West for the long-running civil war in Syria.

“It is clear to all of us that the reign of the Assad family is coming to an end,” Mr. Tillerson told reporters following a two-day meeting of foreign ministers.

U.S. officials said the strike and renewed pressure from the international community could help Mr. Tillerson make his case to Russia.

Ahead of Mr. Tillerson’s arrival, the Russian Foreign Ministry in a statement blamed the U.S. for pursuing a policy of “American exceptionalism,” that tried to punish Russia economically and limit its influence in international affairs.

“Russia, of course, is not going to surrender its legitimate interests and accepts cooperation only on an equal basis, which is not to everyone’s liking in Washington,” the statement read. “We, however, have always been and remain open to the most frank dialogue with the U.S. on any issues on the bilateral and international agenda and for joint work in areas where the goals coincide.”

Although the State Department began planning Mr. Tillerson’s trip before the deadly chemical weapons attack last week in Syria, that event and the U.S. response have fueled tensions between Moscow and Washington and have raised the stakes of the visit.

“The most important factor for Putin is not loyalty to Assad, but stability of the Syrian regime, which enables Russia to hold a significant geopolitical position in the Middle East. He could conceivably achieve that in a post-Assad scenario. So there is room for negotiation on that point,” said Matthew Rojansky, a Russia expert at the Wilson Center in Washington.

Administration officials have sent mixed signals on Syria policy in recent days. Mr. Tillerson and others have repeated that the U.S.’s first priority is fighting Islamic State. But the White House on Monday left open the possibility of further strikes against Mr. Assad if he uses chemical weapons or barrel bombs.

Mr. Tillerson’s visit beginning Tuesday is his first official trip to Moscow, but he had close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin while CEO of Exxon Mobil. Mr. Tillerson is set to meet Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov. A Kremlin spokesman said Monday that a meeting between Mr. Tillerson and Mr. Putin wasn’t on the Russian leader’s calendar, despite earlier U.S. expectations of such a session.

Current and former officials who have planned such trips said it isn’t unusual for a meeting with Mr. Putin to remain uncertain until the last minute, but that usually the Russian leader grants an audience to the U.S. Secretary of State.

Mr. Tillerson also is expected to raise Russia’s interventions in Ukraine, its violations of a Cold War pact that prevents the use of certain missile technology and Russian interference in Western elections, including those in the U.S.