Maxim Shemetov/Reuters
Despite previously suggesting he would not meet with Rex Tillerson during his Moscow visit, Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly relented and held in-person discussions with the secretary of state. According to the Associated Press, the Kremlin confirmed the meeting after it began, early in the evening Wednesday. Whether the Russian leader would meet with Tillerson was a matter of contention over the past few days, with both sides sniping at each other over the unfolding Syria situation. Russian officials indicated earlier this week that Putin would not meet at all with Tillerson, even though every new secretary of state has been greeted by a Russian head-of-state since the end of World War II. Putin’s spokesperson earlier on Wednesday suggested that a meeting with Tillerson would depend on how his other discussions with Russian officials went.