G7 nations have rejected a call by Britain for sanctions against Russia in the wake of a deadly chemical attack. They say the attack was carried out by Moscow's ally, Syria. Italy's Foreign Minister said the group did not want to back Russia into a corner and preferred dialogue. <br/><br/>US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is now heading from the G7 meeting in Italy to talks in Moscow. He insisted Syria's President could not play a part in the country's future. Mr Tillerson will meet Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Moscow but it is unclear whether he will hold talks with President Vladimir Putin. <br/><br/>Today Mr. Putin called for the UN to hold an independent investigation into the chemical attack on the rebel-held Syrian town of Khan Sheikhoun that left 89 people dead. Syria denied carrying out the chemical attack but the US then carried out a retaliatory strike, firing 59 cruise missiles at a Syrian airbase.<br/><br/>Italian Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano – hosting the G7 talks in the city of Lucca – said ministers wanted to engage with Russia to put pressure on President Bashar al-Assad. <br/><br/>Mr Tillerson said the US retaliatory strike was necessary as a matter of US national security interest. He also added that the US saw no further role for the Assad regime longer term, given that they have effectively given up their legitimacy with these kinds of attacks.

G7 nations have rejected a call by Britain for sanctions against Russia in the wake of a deadly chemical attack. They say the attack was carried out by Moscow's ally, Syria. Italy's Foreign Minister said the group did not want to back Russia into a corner and preferred dialogue. <br/><br/>US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is now heading from the G7 meeting in Italy to talks in Moscow. He insisted Syria's President could not play a part in the country's future. Mr Tillerson will meet Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Moscow but it is unclear whether he will hold talks with President Vladimir Putin. <br/><br/>Today Mr. Putin called for the UN to hold an independent investigation into the chemical attack on the rebel-held Syrian town of Khan Sheikhoun that left 89 people dead. Syria denied carrying out the chemical attack but the US then carried out a retaliatory strike, firing 59 cruise missiles at a Syrian airbase.<br/><br/>Italian Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano – hosting the G7 talks in the city of Lucca – said ministers wanted to engage with Russia to put pressure on President Bashar al-Assad. <br/><br/>Mr Tillerson said the US retaliatory strike was necessary as a matter of US national security interest. He also added that the US saw no further role for the Assad regime longer term, given that they have effectively given up their legitimacy with these kinds of attacks.

The G7 group of nations has failed to reach agreement over threatening new sanctions against Russia and Syria. Foreign Ministers were seeking a common position on the Syrian conflict, before the US Secretary of State flies to Russia to try to persuade it to abandon its Syrian ally. <br/><br/>The nations agreed there was no solution to the Syria crisis with President Assad in power. But UK proposals to target sanctions at senior military leaders were sidelined. The diplomacy in the Italian town of Lucca follows the latest apparent use of chemical weapons in Syria.<br/><br/>Syria has denied it carried out a chemical attack on the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhoun last week that left 89 people dead. In response, the US fired 59 cruise missiles at a Syrian airbase that it said was implicated in the attack.<br/><br/>Speaking after the end of the G7 meeting, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the missile strike was necessary as a matter of US national security interest.<br/><br/>Mr Tillerson will head to Moscow for talks on Syria later today, hoping to persuade the Russians that they have an unreliable ally in President Assad.