The comment, even if it were misinterpreted, likely hit a nerve with Tillerson's European counterparts. Europe has been on high alert since 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea and began supporting Ukrainian separatists.
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'A rhetorical device:' State Department explains Rex Tillerson's controversial Ukraine comments
The comment signaled to some, including Ayrault, that Tillerson did not think the US should concern itself with the ongoing war in Ukraine and Russian aggression there.
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson makes a statement about the visit of China's President Xi Jinping and about the situation in Syria, at Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach
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