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Politico, 16 Feb 2017
Russia must respect its international commitments toward Ukraine, new U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov Thursday during the first meeting between the two sides since Donald Trump took office.

“As we search for new common ground we expect Russia to honor its commitment to the Minsk agreements and work to de-escalate violence in Ukraine,” Tillerson told reporters after meeting with his Russian counterpart in Bonn.

“The U.S. will consider working with Russia when we can find areas of practical cooperation that will benefit the American people,” Tillerson said, but added that “where we do not see eye to eye the U.S. will stand up for the interests and values of America and her allies.”

The two men met on the sidelines of a G20 summit during Tillerson’s first foreign trip as secretary of state, two weeks after his appointment was confirmed by the Senate.

The American intelligence community has accused Russia of meddling in last year’s U.S. election. Responding to those claims, Lavrov told Tillerson, “You should know we do not interfere in the domestic matters of other countries.”

Russia-U.S. relations have been under intense scrutiny since former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn was forced to resign after failing to fully disclose details of a conversation with the Russian ambassador.

According to Bloomberg, an American aide signaled to the press that they should leave the room as Tillerson began to speak. This was said to have irked Lavrov, who said “Why did you shush them out?”