U.S. Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, who was fired by President Donald Trump on Tuesday, said he was delegating all of his responsibilities to the State Department’s No. 2 official and that he would leave office at the end of the month.
Tillerson told reporters in a packed briefing room at the State Department in Washington.
“What is most important is to ensure an orderly and smooth transition during a time that the country continues to face significant policy and national security challenges,” Tillerson said.
Tillerson says “much work remains’’ to respond to “troubling behaviour and actions’’ by Russia.
Tillerson says the Russian government “must assess carefully’’ how its actions are in the best interest of the Russian people “and of the world more broadly.’’
“Continuing on their current trajectory is likely to lead to greater isolation on their part, a situation which is not in anyone’s interest,’’ the outgoing top U.S. diplomat says.
