U.S. senators urge Tillerson to meet with activists in Russia

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson meets with Afghan Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani at the State Department in Washington, U.S., March 22, 2017. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson should meet with "democratically-minded" activists in Russia as well as government officials during his visit there later this month, two senators urged him in a letter released on Wednesday.

Tillerson is due to visit Russia for talks expected to touch on the nation's annexation of Crimea, its deployment of a land-based cruise missile and its role in Syria's civil war.