Russia says US ties are 'worst since Cold War' ahead of Tillerson visit

Russia's foreign ministry has said the country's relations with the US are the most difficult since the end of the Cold War.

It comes ahead of a visit by US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to Moscow - and after G7 foreign ministers rejected UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson's calls to broaden sanctions against Russia and Syria.

Pressure has been mounting on Russia to end its support for Syrian leader Bashar al Assad following the US missile attack on a Syrian airbase, carried out in retaliation for a chemical weapons attack blamed on the president's regime - something it denies.

However, at a news conference at the close of the summit, Italian foreign minister Angelino Alfano said Russia must not be "pushed into a corner" over Syria.

Mr Tillerson, who is heading to Moscow to work on "a solution which will deliver a lasting political settlement" in Syria, has raised fresh expectations of aggressive military action against the country and any other repressive regimes.

Speaking in a tougher tone than his Italian counterpart, he said Russia had a choice - to align itself with the US and like-minded nations, or with Mr Assad, Iran and the militant group Hezbollah.

Mr Tillerson said it was unclear whether Russia had failed to take its obligations in Syria seriously, or whether it was was incompetent, but he said the distinction "doesn't much matter to the dead".

He said another chemical weapons attack could not be allowed to happen, adding: "It is clear to us the reign of the Assad family is coming to an end."

Mr Johnson had seen the G7 summit as a game-changing moment and had called for new sanctions to be imposed on Syrian military figures and Russian military individuals responsible for backing them.

But the question of added sanctions had barely been mentioned in the meetings, according to French foreign minister Jean-Marc Ayrault.

The outcome has fallen well short of that, with the countries agreeing there could be no Syrian peace deal with Mr Assad in power.

However, it was unclear how the group of seven nations expected Mr Assad's departure to be brought about.