10, July 2017
Trump son met Russian lawyer linked to Kremlin 0
US President Donald Trump’s son met with a Russian lawyer linked to the Kremlin in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election, a report reveals. Donald Trump Jr., had been promised damaging information about his father’s opponent, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, ahead of meeting with Natalia Veselnitskaya, The New York Times reported on Sunday, citing US officials.
In a declassified report released in January, the intelligence community concluded that Russia helped with the New York billionaire’s campaign effort ahead of winning the White House, an allegation dismissed both by Moscow and Trump.
According to the Times, the meeting represents “the first public indication that at least some in the campaign were willing to accept Russian help.” Then-Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and the president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, also took part in a meeting with the Russian lawyer. In a statement sent to the newspaper, Trump Jr. denied that he had received any information about the former secretary of state, asserting that the meeting had been held at the request of an acquaintance.
“After pleasantries were exchanged, the woman stated that she had information that individuals connected to Russia were funding the Democratic National Committee and supporting Ms. Clinton,” Trump Jr. said in his statement. “Her statements were vague, ambiguous and made no sense. No details or supporting information was provided or even offered. It quickly became clear that she had no meaningful information.”
He added that claims of helpful information by the lawyer were just an excuse to get him to attend the meeting over American adoptions of Russian children. “It became clear to me that this was the true agenda all along and that the claims of potentially helpful information were a pretext for the meeting,” he said.
Source: Presstv
12, July 2017
Moscow threatens reciprocity over US expulsions 0
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says Moscow may retaliate moves by the United States last year to seize Russian diplomatic premises in America and eject a number of Russian diplomats.
The administration of former US president Barack Obama expelled 35 Russian diplomats and ordered the seizure of two Russian diplomatic compounds in December 2016 over allegations that Moscow had attempted to influence the US presidential election back then. Denying the allegations, Russia has previously called for the return of the premises.
During a visit to Austria on Tuesday, Lavrov told Russian media that the situation had lingered and was “outrageous.” “I believe that for such a great country like the United States of America, this advocate of international law, it’s just shameful to leave the situation in mid-air,” he said. The Russian foreign minister also said that Moscow was “now thinking of specific steps” to retaliate. He did not provide details, however.
When the Obama administration ejected the Russian diplomats and took over the premises, Russia did not take immediate reciprocal action and preferred to wait and see whether ties would improve under the administration of President Donald Trump, whose election victory Obama said had been aided by the alleged Russian meddling.
At a news conference with the European Union (EU)’s High Representative Federica Mogherini later in the day, Lavrov said once again that the US would face “retaliatory measures” if it did not heed Russia’s calls to return the diplomatic premises.
“If this does not happen, if we see that this step is not seen as essential in Washington, then of course we will take retaliatory measures,” he said. “This is the law of diplomacy, the law of international affairs, that reciprocity is the basis of all relations.”
According to Russia’s Izvestia daily, Moscow has been considering the expulsion of some 30 US diplomats and taking over two US diplomatic compounds near Moscow and St. Petersburg. A dacha complex owned by the US Embassy at Serebyany Bor outside Moscow may be one of those premises.
Citing Foreign Ministry sources, Izvestia said that the measures will take effect if the diplomatic row is not resolved at a meeting between Lavrov’s deputy Sergei Ryabkov and Thomas Shannon, a US under secretary of state, in St. Petersburg next week.
Source: Presstv