Axios

The French foreign minister recounted a question from U.S. Sec. of State Rex Tillerson today at a meeting of G-7 nations in Italy. Bloomberg reports Tillerson as saying:

Why should U.S. taxpayers be interested in Ukraine?

Why it matters: Bloomberg sums up the impact of what it calls a "provocative remark" as something "sure to give pause to any European official fearful that President Donald Trump might ease sanctions and let the former Soviet state slip back into it Russia's orbit, even as tensions with Moscow are running high."

GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis is calling on U.S. UN Ambassador Nikki Haley to condemn the "humanitarian crisis" in the Russian Republic of Chechnya, which has been targeting, arresting, and abusing LGBTQ people:

As the leader of the free world, we can't watch in silence as the world slips back to an era we should never go back to.

What's happening: Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta and human rights officials reported that police in Chechnya have detained more than 100 gay men in concentration camps, which has led to torture and death in some cases. The U.S. State Department issued a statement about its "concern" for the matter last week.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that Moscow will appeal to the UN to investigate the Syrian chemical attack, and that the Syrian government is willing to let experts examine its military base for chemical weapons, per the Associated Press. Putin added that Russia also knows about planned "provocations" to blame the Syrian government for the attack.

Why this matters: His comments come after the G7 meeting in Italy on Tuesday, where top diplomats agreed that Russia must stop its "hypocrisy" and work with other countries to oust Assad. Secretary of State Tillerson also stated that Russia must choose between aligning with the U.S. or Iran, Syria, and Hezbollah.

Key takeaways from the G7 summit:

• Rex Tillerson said Russia "must choose" between the U.S. and Iran/Assad/Hezbollah.
• All G7 nations agreed Assad cannot be part of Syria's future, and that Russia must stop its "hypocrisy" and work with other countries to bring an end to the Syrian civil war, per French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault.
• But they failed to reach an agreement on sanctions, per Italian Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano.
• G7 leaders agreed that U.S. intervention had offered "a window of opportunity" for positive change.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson stopped in Italy Tuesday for the G7 summit to discuss the U.S. missile strikes in Syria following Bashar al-Assad's deadly weapons attack last week, as well as U.S. policy moving forward. Notable quotes:

• Tillerson said the Syria strike was a "matter of national security interest" and that the U.S. cannot let Assad's stockpile of chemical weapons fall into the hands of ISIS or others.
• The U.S. will look for strategic options to de-escalate the violence in Syria, and that it is clear "to all of us that the reign of the Assad family is coming to an end."
• Russia must choose between aligning with the U.S. and likeminded countries, or with Assad, Iran and Hezbollah.

Next stop: Tillerson is heading to Moscow later this afternoon where he will meet with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov. The two had originally planned to discuss issues such as Ukraine, NATO, Iran, and sanctions, but the talks are now expected to be dominated by their disagreements on Syria.

LeEco has decided to cancel its planned $2 billion acquisition of US TV maker Vizio, according to a statement reported by multiple news outlets on Monday.

We continue to believe that there is great synergy between the two companies, and are pleased to announce that LeEco and Vizio have reached an agreement that is a win for both companies ... LeEco and Vizio will continue to explore opportunities to incorporate the Le app and content within the Vizio connected CE platform, and engage in a collaborative partnership to leverage LeEco's ecosystem user interface platform, along with the brand's exclusive content and distribution channels, to bring Vizio products to the China market.

The backstory: LeEco had been trying to expand rapidly both geographically, especially in the U.S., as well as into new areas like cars. But the Chinese company has also faced a cash crunch. The Vizio deal was originally supposed to close last year, but had been delayed because Chinese regulators had yet to sign off.

Beijing is now offering citizens rewards up to 500k yuan ($72,460) in exchange for information on foreign spies, reports China's state news agency Xinhua. The new policy, which went into effect Monday, lets informants pass information to authorities by calling through a hotline, sending letters, or visiting the city's state security bureau.

• Public security officials said in a statement cited by Quartz that the capital is the main location of foreign agents, and Beijing wants ordinary citizens to create a metaphorical "steel-like Great Wall" to help protect China from "traitors and spies."
• The statement notes that the personal information of informants will not be disclosed without their consent, and they can seek protection from security authorities if they feel they are in danger.
• However, it also warned that "informants will be punished if they deliberately slander others, or invent and spread false information."

Why this matters: It's another indication of the crackdown on foreign spying that has intensified since Xi Jinping came to power in 2012.