US hopes Russia will abandon support of Syria's Assad: Tillerson

The United States hopes Russia will abandon its support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad because actions such as last week's chemical attack have stripped him of all legitimacy, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Tuesday.

"It is clear to us the reign of the Assad family is coming to an end," he told reporters at a meeting of Group of Seven foreign ministers shortly before leaving for Moscow.

"We hope that the Russian government concludes that they have aligned themselves with an unreliable partner in (Syrian President) Bashar Al-Assad," he said.