Tillerson to visit Russia, skip NATO meeting – USA TODAY

FBI Director James Comey says the FBI and Justice Department have no information to substantiate President Donald Trump's claims that former President Barack Obama wiretapped him before the election. (March 20) AP

China's President Xi Jinping, left, meets Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in Beijing on March 19.(Photo: AFP/Getty Images)

Secretary of State Rex Tillersonwill travel to Russia next month for a visit that comes as the FBI confirmed this week it is investigating whether there was any coordinationbetween the Kremlin and President Trump's 2016 election campaign.

The purpose of the visit is not clear.

Tillerson's expected itinerary means he will be in Russia at a time when Trumpassociates are being scrutinized for any links to alleged Kremlin-sponsored cyberattacks during the presidential campaign as well as alleged meetings between the Russian government and Trump campaign officials.

The State Department said late Monday Tillerson would hold "meetings"in Russia directly after attendingGroup of Seven talksin Italy in early April.

He isalso expected to beat Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida whenChinese President Xi Jinping visits on April 6-7.

Tillerson is liked by President Vladimir Putinand has years of experience working with the Russian government from his time workingas a top executive at ExxonMobil. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday that the U.S. intelligence committee that heard FBI Director James Comey's congressional testimony on Monday about alleged Russian ties was "confused."

"They (investigators) are trying to find confirmation of their own conclusions but cant find either proof or confirmation and are going round in circles," he said.

Tillerson's Russia visitalso means he will skip a NATO foreign ministers' summiton April 5-6. The NATO summit in Brussels would have been Tillerson's first as secretary of State. His decision to stay away could be interpreted as a snub to the international defense organization that Trump maintains U.S. allies are not doing enough, financially, to support and that Trumphas called "obsolete."

Following talks Fridaywith Chancellor Angela Merkel, Trump said Germany "owes vast sums of money to NATO," an allegation the European power rejected.Only 5 out of 28 NATO nations meetthe alliance's goal of2% GDP defense spending. Germany spent1.19% last year, but has argued for a broader definition of spending.

"Defense spending also goes into our United Nationspeacekeeping missions, into our European missions and into our contribution to the fight against (Islamic State)terrorism," German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement on Sunday, adding that there "is no debt account at NATO."

It is common practice for the U.S. secretary of State to attend NATO summits.

The State Department said Tom Shannon, an undersecretary of state, would attend the meeting at NATO headquarters in Tillerson's absence.

NATO said that all allies are represented at ministerial meetings and that it was up to each NATO member to determine at what level they are represented. It also pointed out thatNATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg was due to meet with Tillerson in Washington on Wednesday as part of planned counter-Islamic Statetalks.

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Tillerson to visit Russia, skip NATO meeting - USA TODAY