Tillerson to face questions on Russian ties at confirmation hearing

Rex Tillerson (C), former chairman and chief executive officer of Exxon Mobil, arrives between Senators' Bob Corker (L) (R-TN) and Ben Cardin (2NDR) (D-MD) prior to testifying before a Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing on his nomination to be U.S. secretary of state, on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S. January 11, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Russia's actions during the U.S. presidential election and its behaviour towards Ukraine dominated the confirmation hearing of Rex Tillerson, President-elect Donald Trump's pick for secretary of state, as senators pressed him on Wednesday on how he would deal with aggression from Moscow.

Tillerson, 64, the former chief executive of Exxon Mobil Corp, faced a grilling on his views of Russian President Vladimir Putin and tough questioning from Republican Senator Marco Rubio about whether he believed Putin was a war criminal. Rubio specifically referred to Russia's military actions in support of the Syrian government in the Syrian civil war.