Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Sunday the United States cannot “reset” relations with Russia or start with a clean slate, calling instead for the two countries to "reengage" each other.

“I think it's important to understand we're not trying to start with a clean slate,” Tillerson told host Chuck Todd on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

“I think terms like having a reset are overused. You cannot reset. You cannot erase the past. You cannot start with a clean slate. And we're not trying to start with a clean slate.

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"We're starting with the slate we have. And all the problems that are on that slate. We don't dismiss any of them. We don't give anyone a free pass on any of them," Tillerson added.

His comments mark a split from former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham ClintonBarr criticizes DOJ in speech declaring all agency power 'is invested in the attorney general' Virginia Democrat blasts Trump's 'appalling' remark about COVID-19 deaths in 'blue states' The Hill's Campaign Report: Biden asks if public can trust vaccine from Trump ahead of Election Day | Oklahoma health officials raised red flags before Trump rally MORE’s "reset" approach toward the Kremlin, which she instituted in 2009 after handing Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov a red button with “reset” written on it in English during a meeting in Geneva.

Tillerson said President Trump believes it is important to “reengage” Russia, acknowledging that the two countries have problems to address.

“And yes, there are a large number of issues that we have to get around to addressing in order to put this relationship back together, if that is indeed possible.”

Tillerson said the U.S.-Russian relationship is at “an all-time low point since the end of the Cold War,” adding that there is a “very low level of trust” between the two countries.