I think what we're hopeful is through this Syrian process, working with coalition members, working with the U.N., and in particular working through the Geneva process, that we can navigate a political outcome in which the Syrian people, in fact, will determine Bashar al-Assad's fate and his legitimacy.

We express America's values from the State Department. We represent the American people. We represent America's values, our commitment to freedom, our commitment to equal treatment to people the world over. And that message has never changed.

President Xi Jinping clearly understands, and I think agrees, that the situation in North Korea has intensified and has reached a certain level of threat that action has to be taken. And, indeed, the Chinese, even themselves, have said that they do not believe the conditions are right to engage in discussions with the government in Pyongyang. And so what I think we're hopeful is that we can work together with the Chinese to change the conditions in the minds of the DPRK leadership.

The military progress both in Syria and in Iraq has been remarkable since President Donald Trump's inauguration. We have continued to liberate areas. We are making tremendous progress in liberating Mosul in Iraq, working with coalition forces, we're moving to position to liberate Raqqa.

I do not think Syria can achieve international recognition in the future - even if they work through a successful political process, you know, the international community simply is not going to accept a Syria led by the Assad regime.

My understanding, I was not standing nearby, but my understanding is that President Xi Jinping said, "Well, no one should kill children." The Chinese have since issued their own statement on the Syria attack itself.

I think the Russians need to think more carefully about the commitment they made under the chemical weapons agreements to be the guarantor that these weapons would be seized, they would be removed, they would be destroyed. And since they are Bashar al-Assad's ally, they would have the closest insight as to the compliance.