US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross has business ties to a shipping firm linked to Vladimir Putin&#39;s inner circle, according to a vast leak of financial documents that also revealed Britain&#39;s Queen Elizabeth II&#39;s investments in tax havens.

It was also revealed that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau&#39;s top fundraiser and senior advisor Stephen Bronfman, heir to the Seagram fortune, moved some $60 million to offshore tax havens with ex-senator Leo Kolber.

The findings have emerged as part of the Paradise Papers released by the US-based International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), which was behind the Panama Papers made public last year.

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<h5>It was also revealed that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau&#39;s top fundraiser and senior advisor Stephen Bronfman, heir to the Seagram fortune, moved some $60 million to offshore tax havens with ex-senator Leo Kolber</h5>
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There is no suggestion that Ross, Bronfman or the queen&#39;s private estate acted illegally.

But Ross&#39;s ties to Russian entities raise questions over potential conflicts of interest, and whether they undermine Washington&#39;s sanctions on Moscow.

The revelations about Bronfman could spell trouble for Trudeau, who was elected two years ago riding on the coattails of promises to reduce economic inequality and tax avoidance.

In the case of Queen Elizabeth&#39;s private estate, critics may question whether it is appropriate for the British head of state to invest in offshore tax havens.

Putin&#39;s son-in-law&nbsp;

Ross, a billionaire investor, holds a 31 percent stake in Navigator Holdings through a complex web of offshore investments detailed in the documents examined by nearly 100 news organizations as part of an international collaboration.

The 79-year-old reduced his stake when he took public office, according to public filings.

Navigator Holdings runs a lucrative partnership with Russian energy giant Sibur, which is partially owned by Putin&#39;s son-in-law Kirill Shamalov and Gennady Timchenko, the Russian president&#39;s friend and business partner who is subject to US sanctions.

The US imposed sanctions on Russian entities and individuals following its annexation of Crimea and aggression in Ukraine.

Ross&#39;s private equity firm has been the biggest shareholder in Navigator.&nbsp;

His personal share of the firm&#39;s stake was reduced when he took office in February, but the commerce chief&#39;s investment is still valued at between $2 million to $10 million, according to his security filings and government ethics disclosure.

The New York Times reported that Ross&#39;s stake in Navigator has been held by companies in the Cayman Islands. His wealth, estimated to exceed $2 billion, is said to be tied to similar arrangements in various tax havens like the Cayman Islands.

&quot;Secretary Ross was not involved with Navigator&#39;s decision to engage in business with Sibur, a publicly traded company, which was not under sanction at the time and is not currently,&quot; said James Rockas, a Commerce Department spokesman.

&quot;Moreover, Secretary Ross has never met the Sibur shareholders referenced in this story and, until now, did not know of their relationship.&quot;

&nbsp;Controversial businesses&nbsp;

The documents also show around &pound;10 million ($13 million) of the Queen&#39;s private money was placed in funds held in the Cayman Islands and Bermuda, first reported in Britain by the BBC and the Guardian newspaper.

They reported the funds reinvested the money in an array of businesses, including controversial rent-to-buy retailer BrightHouse, which has been accused of exploiting the poor, and a chain of alcohol stores that later went bankrupt.

A spokeswoman for the Duchy of Lancaster, which provides the monarch with an income and handles her investments, said: &quot;All of our investments are fully audited and legitimate.&quot;

&quot;We operate a number of investments and a few of these are with overseas funds,&quot; she added.

The spokeswoman added that one of the fund investments represents only 0.3 percent of the total value of the Duchy.

The Paradise Papers contain 13.4 million documents mainly from Appleby, an offshore law firm with offices in Bermuda and beyond.&nbsp;

The files were first obtained by the German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung, and shared with the ICIJ and partner media outlets. 
&nbsp;

The Paradise Papers have been released by the US-based International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, which was also behind last year's Panama Papers

US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross has business ties to a shipping firm linked to Vladimir Putin's inner circle, according to a vast leak of financial documents that also revealed Britain's Queen Elizabeth II's investments in tax havens. It was also revealed that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's top fundraiser and senior advisor Stephen Bronfman, heir to the Seagram fortune, moved some $60 million to offshore tax havens with ex-senator Leo Kolber. The findings have emerged as part of the Paradise Papers released by the US-based International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), which was behind the Panama Papers made public last year. It was also revealed that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's top fundraiser and senior advisor Stephen Bronfman, heir to the Seagram fortune, moved some $60 million to offshore tax havens with ex-senator Leo Kolber × There is no suggestion that Ross, Bronfman or the queen's private estate acted illegally. But Ross's ties to Russian entities raise questions over potential conflicts of interest, and whether they undermine Washington's sanctions on Moscow. The revelations about Bronfman could spell trouble for Trudeau, who was elected two years ago riding on the coattails of promises to reduce economic inequality and tax avoidance. In the case of Queen Elizabeth's private estate, critics may question whether it is appropriate for the British head of state to invest in offshore tax havens. Putin's son-in-law Ross, a billionaire investor, holds a 31 percent stake in Navigator Holdings through a complex web of offshore investments detailed in the documents examined by nearly 100 news organizations as part of an international collaboration. The 79-year-old reduced his stake when he took public office, according to public filings. Navigator Holdings runs a lucrative partnership with Russian energy giant Sibur, which is partially owned by Putin's son-in-law Kirill Shamalov and Gennady Timchenko, the Russian president's friend and business partner who is subject to US sanctions. The US imposed sanctions on Russian entities and individuals following its annexation of Crimea and aggression in Ukraine. Ross's private equity firm has been the biggest shareholder in Navigator. His personal share of the firm's stake was reduced when he took office in February, but the commerce chief's investment is still valued at between $2 million to $10 million, according to his security filings and government ethics disclosure. The New York Times reported that Ross's stake in Navigator has been held by companies in the Cayman Islands. His wealth, estimated to exceed $2 billion, is said to be tied to similar arrangements in various tax havens like the Cayman Islands. "Secretary Ross was not involved with Navigator's decision to engage in business with Sibur, a publicly traded company, which was not under sanction at the time and is not currently," said James Rockas, a Commerce Department spokesman. "Moreover, Secretary Ross has never met the Sibur shareholders referenced in this story and, until now, did not know of their relationship." Controversial businesses The documents also show around £10 million ($13 million) of the Queen's private money was placed in funds held in the Cayman Islands and Bermuda, first reported in Britain by the BBC and the Guardian newspaper. They reported the funds reinvested the money in an array of businesses, including controversial rent-to-buy retailer BrightHouse, which has been accused of exploiting the poor, and a chain of alcohol stores that later went bankrupt. A spokeswoman for the Duchy of Lancaster, which provides the monarch with an income and handles her investments, said: "All of our investments are fully audited and legitimate." "We operate a number of investments and a few of these are with overseas funds," she added. The spokeswoman added that one of the fund investments represents only 0.3 percent of the total value of the Duchy. The Paradise Papers contain 13.4 million documents mainly from Appleby, an offshore law firm with offices in Bermuda and beyond. The files were first obtained by the German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung, and shared with the ICIJ and partner media outlets.

Paradise Papers: US commerce secretary has ties to firm linked to Putin's inner circle

Last weekend was Vladimir Putin&#39;s 65th birthday. Now it&#39;s not germane to this piece whether he cut a cake, danced or made history by drinking vodka (Putin is a teetotaller). The news genre requires a peg to hang a story on and the reference to his birthday gives us the peg to take this forward, into the realm of India and Russia.

Recall the day India and China agreed to end the standoff on the Doklam Plateau in Bhutan. A day earlier, Russia&#39;s ambassador in Beijing Andrei Denisov said in public, that his country would not take sides in the standoff between India and China.

Denisov&#39;s comments appeared careful and calibrated. He said: &quot;The situation on the India-Chinese border is something we all regret. We think our Chinese and Indian friends can resolve the problem by themselves. We don&#39;t think they need any mediators who can influence their respective positions on the issue.&quot;

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<h5>Russia is not in Beijing&#39;s pockets, at least not yet.</h5>
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There may have been some disappointment in India over that studied enunciation of neutrality after all Delhi and Moscow go back a long way. But to be fair to Russia, it&#39;s unusual for any ambassador to be neutral about the country he is serving in. Ambassador Denisov&#39;s remarks are all the more interesting given the pressure he may have been under from his host government, to back them up on Doklam.

The credit here goes not to Denisov but Putin. That statement was interpreted correctly in Delhi&#39;s South Block and provided proof, if any was required, that Russia is not in Beijing&#39;s pockets, at least not yet. Russia watchers in India say Putin has always been bullish about this country, seeing a valued diplomatic and strategic partnership.

The Modi-Putin meeting in St Petersburg four months ago saw agreement on Russia building two more nuclear power reactors at Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu. At the Xiamen BRICS summit, Russia reportedly played a key role in facilitating the naming of terrorist groups in the final declaration.

The doomsayers may warn that the Delhi-Moscow bilateral is running out of steam but the ground reality doesn&#39;t convey that impression.

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<h5>The doomsayers may warn that the Delhi-Moscow bilateral is running out of steam but the ground reality doesn&#39;t convey that impression.</h5>
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India&#39;s indigenous nuclear submarine programme has developed in large part to technology and expertise from Russia; the Akula class attack submarine Chakra is another with one more on the way; earlier there was the Brahmos cruise missile project; plans to acquire the Russian S-400 ballistic missile defence system is moving forward. Russia is well aware that for India, these projects have one enemy in mind, China.

Indian diplomats who have served in Moscow say the problems may lie in the shape Russia&#39;s foreign policy is taking, perhaps due to organisational deficiencies. Putin&#39;s strategic vision seems to lack sufficient back up in terms of human and diplomatic resources, so somewhere down the line things go cold.

Increasingly, the tactical and short-term approach appears to be overtaking the long-term and strategic in Russian foreign policy. Perhaps there&#39;s a reason for this: Russia&#39;s re-emergence in the Arab world on the back of a very successful policy in Syria. This may have even influenced some in Moscow to believe they are now America&#39;s equal. Such thinking could be self-delusion and therefore dangerous.

Russia&#39;s policy in Afghanistan is also strange. There&#39;s every reason why Russia and the US can find common ground there. Both are concerned about radical Islam, drug trafficking and Pakistan&#39;s destabilising role. There&#39;s also no doubt that the US expenditure in men and money helps Russia and India. Yet we find the two superpowers on opposite sides with Russia rubbing shoulders with the Taliban and arming Pakistan. Again, it would seem, the short-term and tactical taking precedence over the strategic and long-term.

But international relations is always dynamic, with Putin in charge, there could be a course correction in time. At this point, it&#39;s not clear if Putin plans to stand for another term during elections early next year. At 65 he shows no signs of slowing down or incapacity.&nbsp;He should be good for another 10 years, good for India too.

Though tactical and short-term approach has marked Russia's foreign policy, President Putin is good for India's interest.

Last weekend was Vladimir Putin's 65th birthday. Now it's not germane to this piece whether he cut a cake, danced or made history by drinking vodka (Putin is a teetotaller). The news genre requires a peg to hang a story on and the reference to his birthday gives us the peg to take this forward, into the realm of India and Russia. Recall the day India and China agreed to end the standoff on the Doklam Plateau in Bhutan. A day earlier, Russia's ambassador in Beijing Andrei Denisov said in public, that his country would not take sides in the standoff between India and China. Denisov's comments appeared careful and calibrated. He said: "The situation on the India-Chinese border is something we all regret. We think our Chinese and Indian friends can resolve the problem by themselves. We don't think they need any mediators who can influence their respective positions on the issue." Russia is not in Beijing's pockets, at least not yet. × There may have been some disappointment in India over that studied enunciation of neutrality after all Delhi and Moscow go back a long way. But to be fair to Russia, it's unusual for any ambassador to be neutral about the country he is serving in. Ambassador Denisov's remarks are all the more interesting given the pressure he may have been under from his host government, to back them up on Doklam. The credit here goes not to Denisov but Putin. That statement was interpreted correctly in Delhi's South Block and provided proof, if any was required, that Russia is not in Beijing's pockets, at least not yet. Russia watchers in India say Putin has always been bullish about this country, seeing a valued diplomatic and strategic partnership. The Modi-Putin meeting in St Petersburg four months ago saw agreement on Russia building two more nuclear power reactors at Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu. At the Xiamen BRICS summit, Russia reportedly played a key role in facilitating the naming of terrorist groups in the final declaration. The doomsayers may warn that the Delhi-Moscow bilateral is running out of steam but the ground reality doesn't convey that impression. The doomsayers may warn that the Delhi-Moscow bilateral is running out of steam but the ground reality doesn't convey that impression. × India's indigenous nuclear submarine programme has developed in large part to technology and expertise from Russia; the Akula class attack submarine Chakra is another with one more on the way; earlier there was the Brahmos cruise missile project; plans to acquire the Russian S-400 ballistic missile defence system is moving forward. Russia is well aware that for India, these projects have one enemy in mind, China. Indian diplomats who have served in Moscow say the problems may lie in the shape Russia's foreign policy is taking, perhaps due to organisational deficiencies. Putin's strategic vision seems to lack sufficient back up in terms of human and diplomatic resources, so somewhere down the line things go cold. Increasingly, the tactical and short-term approach appears to be overtaking the long-term and strategic in Russian foreign policy. Perhaps there's a reason for this: Russia's re-emergence in the Arab world on the back of a very successful policy in Syria. This may have even influenced some in Moscow to believe they are now America's equal. Such thinking could be self-delusion and therefore dangerous. Russia's policy in Afghanistan is also strange. There's every reason why Russia and the US can find common ground there. Both are concerned about radical Islam, drug trafficking and Pakistan's destabilising role. There's also no doubt that the US expenditure in men and money helps Russia and India. Yet we find the two superpowers on opposite sides with Russia rubbing shoulders with the Taliban and arming Pakistan. Again, it would seem, the short-term and tactical taking precedence over the strategic and long-term. But international relations is always dynamic, with Putin in charge, there could be a course correction in time. At this point, it's not clear if Putin plans to stand for another term during elections early next year. At 65 he shows no signs of slowing down or incapacity. He should be good for another 10 years, good for India too.

With Putin in power, India-Russia relations will prosper

The United States said on Monday it was sharply scaling back its visa services in Russia after Moscow cut the number of its diplomatic staff in retaliation over new US sanctions.

The US embassy in Russia said in a statement it was suspending all nonimmigrant visa operations across Russia on Aug. 23 and that they would resume on Sept. 1 &quot;on a greatly reduced scale.&quot;

The move means Russian citizens wanting to visit the United States for tourism will have to travel to Moscow and will no longer be able to&nbsp;use local US consulates outside the Russian capital.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, reacting to new sanctions imposed by the US Congress, has ordered Washington to cut its diplomatic and technical staff in Russia by 755 people by Sept. 1.

Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday that a US decision to sharply scale back its visa services in Russia was an attempt to stir up ill-feeling among ordinary Russians against the authorities.

He added that Russia would carefully study the US decision and promised that Moscow would not take out its anger on ordinary US citizens.

US took the move after Moscow cut the number of its diplomatic staff in retaliation over new US sanctions

The United States said on Monday it was sharply scaling back its visa services in Russia after Moscow cut the number of its diplomatic staff in retaliation over new US sanctions. The US embassy in Russia said in a statement it was suspending all nonimmigrant visa operations across Russia on Aug. 23 and that they would resume on Sept. 1 "on a greatly reduced scale." The move means Russian citizens wanting to visit the United States for tourism will have to travel to Moscow and will no longer be able to use local US consulates outside the Russian capital. Russian President Vladimir Putin, reacting to new sanctions imposed by the US Congress, has ordered Washington to cut its diplomatic and technical staff in Russia by 755 people by Sept. 1. Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday that a US decision to sharply scale back its visa services in Russia was an attempt to stir up ill-feeling among ordinary Russians against the authorities. He added that Russia would carefully study the US decision and promised that Moscow would not take out its anger on ordinary US citizens.

US scales back visa services in Russia after diplomatic row

Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump&#39;s son-in-law and a senior White House adviser, said on Monday he &quot;did not collude&quot; with Russia and had roughly four meetings with Russian officials during the 2016 campaign and presidential transition, AFP reports.

In a written statement released ahead of his scheduled appearance before lawmakers in closed-door sessions, Kushner said his initial White House security clearance form had been submitted prematurely in error and had omitted all foreign contacts.

Filing misleading information in this form is a felony which carries&nbsp;a possible five-year jail sentence. Kushner&nbsp;originally claimed&nbsp;he had no&nbsp;foreign contacts before the election, and updated the forms, several times, to show he had over <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Jared-Kushner-added-more-than-100-names-to-his-list-of-foreign-contacts-in-updated-security-clearance-forms/articleshow/59581180.cms">100 foreign contacts</a> from over 20 countries.

&quot;I did not collude, nor know of anyone else in the campaign who colluded, with any foreign government,&quot; Kushner said.&nbsp;&quot;I had no improper contacts. I have not relied on Russian funds to finance my business activities in the private sector,&quot; he said.

Trump&#39;s son Donald Trump Jr released emails this month, with a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/07/11/us/politics/donald-trump-jr-email-text.html" target="_blank">subject heading</a> &#39;&#39;Re - Russia-Clinton--private and confidential&#39;,&nbsp;that showed Trump Jr appeared to welcome the prospect of damaging information from the Russian government about Clinton. Members of both committees say they are eager to hear about the June 2016 meeting involving Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya. Kushner and former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort were also at the meeting.

Kushner faces two days of closed-door questioning from Congress as lawmakers try to determine whether Trump&#39;s campaign enlisted Russia&#39;s help to win the White House in last year&#39;s election.

Kushner is scheduled to address the Senate Intelligence Committee at 10 am&nbsp;on Monday and the House of Representatives Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence on Tuesday. Trump has been dogged by allegations that his campaign aides worked with Russia, which US.&nbsp;

Intelligence agencies have accused Russia of interfering in the election. Moscow has denied any interference, and Trump says his campaign did not collude with Moscow.&nbsp;The Republican president has said the Russia probes in Congress and the Justice Department are politically motivated.

In a tweet on Monday morning, Trump lashed out at the ongoing investigations.

&quot;So why aren&#39;t the Committees and investigators, and of course our beleaguered AG, looking into Crooked Hillary&#39;s crimes &amp; Russia relations?&quot; he added, referring to his former Democratic presidential rival, Hillary Clinton.

&nbsp;

Kushner described the secret meetings with Russians promising damaging information about Clinton&nbsp;as a waste of time. &quot;I actually emailed an assistant from the meeting after I had been there for ten or so minutes and wrote &#39;Can u pls call me on my cell? Need excuse to get out of meeting.&#39;&quot;

He said no part of the meeting he attended &quot;included anything about the campaign&quot; and he had no knowledge of any documents being offered or accepted. <a href="http://time.com/4858397/donald-trump-jr-meeting-russian-lobbyist/" target="_blank">Time </a>reports that during the meeting, Akmetshin and the Russian lawyer Veselnitskaya brought a plastic folder with printed-out documents that detailed what she believed was the flow of illicit funds to the Democratic National Committee.

As for nothing being discussed related to the campaign, Trump Jr and even President Trump have said this secret meeting&nbsp;discussed &quot;adoption&quot;, which refers to the Magnitsky Act. After Obama in 2012 put sanctions on Russian oligarchs accused of human rights violations, a law known as the Magnitsky Act, Putin responded by forbidding Americans from adopting Russian babies.

The Magnitsky Act is thought to be preventing the flow of hundreds of millions of dollars.&nbsp;The Trump administration&#39;s potential willingness to drop sanctions against Russia is at the heart of the alleged connection between US President Donald&nbsp;Trump and Russia. Investigations into this are ongoing.&nbsp;

The Senate Judiciary Committee is negotiating with Manafort and Trump Jr&nbsp;about testifying in a public hearing. &nbsp;The congressional committees, along with federal special counsel Robert Mueller, are examining Russia&#39;s influence in the US election and possible links to Trump&#39;s campaign.

&nbsp;

&#39;Secret back channel&#39;

Kushner will also face questions about reports he tried to set up a secret back channel to Moscow, as well as other contacts with top Russian officials and business leaders.

Kushner said he first met Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak in Washington in April 2016 and shook hands. He said he did not recall phone calls with Kislyak between April and November of that year as reported by Reuters in May, had found no evidence of the calls in phone records and was skeptical they took place.&nbsp;

In a meeting with Kislyak after the election, on December&nbsp;1, Kushner said he articulated a desire for the United States to make a fresh start with Russia.

&quot;The fact that I was asking about ways to start a dialogue after Election Day should, of course, be viewed as strong evidence that I was not aware of one that existed before Election Day,&quot; he said.

He said the Russian ambassador asked if there was a secure line in Trump&#39;s transition office to facilitate a discussion with Russian generals about Syria. There was not.&nbsp;

Kushner suggested arranging something through an existing communications channel at the Russian embassy, but Kislyak indicated that was not possible and they agreed to follow up after the inauguration.

&quot;Nothing else occurred. I did not suggest a &#39;secret back channel.&#39;&nbsp;I did not suggest an ongoing secret form of communication for then or for when the administration took office,&quot; Kushner said. &quot;I did not raise the possibility of using the embassy or any other Russian facility for any purpose other than this one possible conversation in the transition period. We did not discuss sanctions.&quot;

Kushner said he met on December 13 with Sergey Gorkov, the head of Russian state-owned Vnesheconombank, because Kislyak`s insistence and because he had a &quot;direct relationship&quot; with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Sanctions imposed by former President Barack Obama&#39;s administration were not discussed nor were Kushner`s business activities, Kushner said.

&quot;I did not know or have any contact with Mr Gorkov before that meeting, and I have had no reason to connect with him since,&quot; Kushner wrote.

Kushner did not initially disclose any meetings with Russians on forms he filed to get a government security clearance. He has since revised those forms several times.

He said the forms were initially submitted prematurely in error and omitted all foreign contacts he had had, not just those with Russian officials.

(With agency inputs)

 
&nbsp;

Kushner said his original White House security clearance form, which said he had 0 foreign contacts instead of over 100, had been submitted in error

Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law and a senior White House adviser, said on Monday he "did not collude" with Russia and had roughly four meetings with Russian officials during the 2016 campaign and presidential transition, AFP reports. In a written statement released ahead of his scheduled appearance before lawmakers in closed-door sessions, Kushner said his initial White House security clearance form had been submitted prematurely in error and had omitted all foreign contacts. Filing misleading information in this form is a felony which carries a possible five-year jail sentence. Kushner originally claimed he had no foreign contacts before the election, and updated the forms, several times, to show he had over 100 foreign contacts from over 20 countries. "I did not collude, nor know of anyone else in the campaign who colluded, with any foreign government," Kushner said. "I had no improper contacts. I have not relied on Russian funds to finance my business activities in the private sector," he said. Trump's son Donald Trump Jr released emails this month, with a subject heading ''Re - Russia-Clinton--private and confidential', that showed Trump Jr appeared to welcome the prospect of damaging information from the Russian government about Clinton. Members of both committees say they are eager to hear about the June 2016 meeting involving Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya. Kushner and former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort were also at the meeting. Kushner faces two days of closed-door questioning from Congress as lawmakers try to determine whether Trump's campaign enlisted Russia's help to win the White House in last year's election. Kushner is scheduled to address the Senate Intelligence Committee at 10 am on Monday and the House of Representatives Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence on Tuesday. Trump has been dogged by allegations that his campaign aides worked with Russia, which US. Intelligence agencies have accused Russia of interfering in the election. Moscow has denied any interference, and Trump says his campaign did not collude with Moscow. The Republican president has said the Russia probes in Congress and the Justice Department are politically motivated. In a tweet on Monday morning, Trump lashed out at the ongoing investigations. "So why aren't the Committees and investigators, and of course our beleaguered AG, looking into Crooked Hillary's crimes & Russia relations?" he added, referring to his former Democratic presidential rival, Hillary Clinton. Kushner described the secret meetings with Russians promising damaging information about Clinton as a waste of time. "I actually emailed an assistant from the meeting after I had been there for ten or so minutes and wrote 'Can u pls call me on my cell? Need excuse to get out of meeting.'" He said no part of the meeting he attended "included anything about the campaign" and he had no knowledge of any documents being offered or accepted. Time reports that during the meeting, Akmetshin and the Russian lawyer Veselnitskaya brought a plastic folder with printed-out documents that detailed what she believed was the flow of illicit funds to the Democratic National Committee. As for nothing being discussed related to the campaign, Trump Jr and even President Trump have said this secret meeting discussed "adoption", which refers to the Magnitsky Act. After Obama in 2012 put sanctions on Russian oligarchs accused of human rights violations, a law known as the Magnitsky Act, Putin responded by forbidding Americans from adopting Russian babies. The Magnitsky Act is thought to be preventing the flow of hundreds of millions of dollars. The Trump administration's potential willingness to drop sanctions against Russia is at the heart of the alleged connection between US President Donald Trump and Russia. Investigations into this are ongoing. The Senate Judiciary Committee is negotiating with Manafort and Trump Jr about testifying in a public hearing. The congressional committees, along with federal special counsel Robert Mueller, are examining Russia's influence in the US election and possible links to Trump's campaign. 'Secret back channel' Kushner will also face questions about reports he tried to set up a secret back channel to Moscow, as well as other contacts with top Russian officials and business leaders. Kushner said he first met Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak in Washington in April 2016 and shook hands. He said he did not recall phone calls with Kislyak between April and November of that year as reported by Reuters in May, had found no evidence of the calls in phone records and was skeptical they took place. In a meeting with Kislyak after the election, on December 1, Kushner said he articulated a desire for the United States to make a fresh start with Russia. "The fact that I was asking about ways to start a dialogue after Election Day should, of course, be viewed as strong evidence that I was not aware of one that existed before Election Day," he said. He said the Russian ambassador asked if there was a secure line in Trump's transition office to facilitate a discussion with Russian generals about Syria. There was not. Kushner suggested arranging something through an existing communications channel at the Russian embassy, but Kislyak indicated that was not possible and they agreed to follow up after the inauguration. "Nothing else occurred. I did not suggest a 'secret back channel.' I did not suggest an ongoing secret form of communication for then or for when the administration took office," Kushner said. "I did not raise the possibility of using the embassy or any other Russian facility for any purpose other than this one possible conversation in the transition period. We did not discuss sanctions." Kushner said he met on December 13 with Sergey Gorkov, the head of Russian state-owned Vnesheconombank, because Kislyak`s insistence and because he had a "direct relationship" with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Sanctions imposed by former President Barack Obama's administration were not discussed nor were Kushner`s business activities, Kushner said. "I did not know or have any contact with Mr Gorkov before that meeting, and I have had no reason to connect with him since," Kushner wrote. Kushner did not initially disclose any meetings with Russians on forms he filed to get a government security clearance. He has since revised those forms several times. He said the forms were initially submitted prematurely in error and omitted all foreign contacts he had had, not just those with Russian officials. (With agency inputs)

Trump son-in-law Kushner denies collusion despite 'private, confidential' meeting with Russian officials ???????

Donald Trump made some comments to the<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/19/us/politics/trump-interview-sessions-russia.html?hp&amp;action=click&amp;pgtype=Homepage&amp;clickSource=story-heading&amp;module=first-column-region&amp;region=top-news&amp;WT.nav=top-news&amp;_r=0" target="_blank"> New York Times</a>&nbsp;in an interview that will make raise the eyebrows of&nbsp;Trump critics already suspicious of his connection to Russia.

He told the NYT that he would not have chosen Attorney General Jeff Sessions if he had known that Sessions would recuse himself from the Russia probe. Is this not tantamount to Trump admitting that the real purpose of his&nbsp;attorney general&nbsp;is to protect&nbsp;him&nbsp;from&nbsp;the Russia scandal?

Whatever else he thinks of Sessions&#39; job up to now apparently means nothing if Sessions&nbsp;cannot keep him insulated from the Russia investigation.

Sessions&#39; recusal allowed for the appointment of special investigator Robert S Mueller III. Sessions recused himself from anything to do with Trump-Russia after it became known that he had misled the public, denying under oath he met with any Russians during the election when in fact he had met twice with Russian Ambassador Sergei Kislyak.

Trump called Sessions&#39; recusal&nbsp;&quot;very unfair to the president&quot;.&nbsp;The President did not explain why the&nbsp;highest legal authority in the country deciding to recuse himself on investigations&nbsp;after possibly committing perjury related to them is unfair.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Trump&#39;s finances &#39;beyond Russia probe&#39;

In the Times interview, asked if Mueller&#39;s investigation would cross a line if it investigated Trump&#39;s finances beyond the Russia probe, Trump responded &quot;I would say, yes.

&quot;I think that&#39;s a violation. Look, this is about Russia,&quot; Trump said. But that&#39;s just it: Trump is accused of being deeply connected to Russia, and the fact that it is impossible to tell&nbsp;where his personal finances end and his political connections to Russia&nbsp;begin is precisely&nbsp;what&#39;s being investigated.

It is impossible to investigate Trump&#39;s connnections to Russia without examining&nbsp;all his financial ties to Russia. Trump must know this.

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His attacks on Mueller tell me a lot. He KNOWS how bad it is. His &quot;warning&quot; to Mueller tells me finally understands how bad it is.
&mdash; Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheRickWilson/status/887839303820353537">July 20, 2017</a></blockquote>
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For example, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/kushner-firms-285-million-deutsche-bank-loan-came-just-before-election-day/2017/06/25/984f3acc-4f88-11e7-b064-828ba60fbb98_story.html?tid=ss_tw&amp;utm_term=.c4cf5e044286" target="_blank">Jared Kushner</a>, Trump&#39;s son in law and a White House adviser,&nbsp;failed to disclose on his security form that just before the 2016 election his company&nbsp;borrowed $285 million from Deutsche Bank to purchase a Manhattan building owned by Lev Leviev, a self-described&nbsp;&quot;true friend&quot; of Russian President Vladimir&nbsp;Putin.&nbsp;

Incidentally, Kushner denied having any foreign contacts on his security clearance form, a serious form necessary to get White House clearance. He has revised his form multiple times since new revelations were made public, and now the amount of foreign contacts has increased from 0 to over 100. Misrepresenting information on this form is a felony that risks five years of jail time.

Trump&nbsp;chose not to make&nbsp;his tax return&nbsp;public, the first presidential candidate not to take this basic step of transparency in about forty years. First Trump&nbsp;said he would disclose his tax return, then&nbsp;said he was prevented from doing so because he was under audit (it&#39;s true he was under audit, but false that he was prevented him from making them public), then flat out said he wouldn&#39;t.

On January 22 spokesman Kellyanne Conway said he would not release his taxes after all because &quot;<a href="http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/videos/a52466/donald-trump-tax-returns-timeline/" target="_blank">nobody cares</a>&quot;. This also is not true. Over 60 per cent of Americans want Trump to release his taxes publicly.

&nbsp;

Trump&#39;s base believes nothing the media says, even when a Trump says it&nbsp;

&quot;I don&#39;t think we&#39;re under investigation,&quot; Trump told the New York Times.&nbsp;He knows this is not true. &quot;I&#39;m not under investigation. For what? I didn&#39;t do anything wrong,&quot; Trump lied. &nbsp;He is under multiple investigations, including a criminal one&nbsp;for alleged obstruction of justice since firing James Comey, the former FBI Director who was investigating Trump&#39;s Russian connections.

It&#39;s impossible to be under multiple investigations&nbsp;and fire the person leading the most high-profile one without knowing&nbsp;you&#39;re under investigation.

But premeditated, repeated lying&nbsp;has benefited the Trumps. Repeated attacks on the media have had their intended effect: An enormous per cent of his base believes in the Trump&#39;s innocence despite what the media carries, even when&nbsp;the Trump&#39;s themselves admit their&nbsp;guilt.

According to a recent <a href="http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/342700-poll-nearly-half-of-trump-voters-dont-think-trump-jr-met-with-russian">poll</a>, almost one third&nbsp;of Trump voters&nbsp;do not believe Donald Trump Jr&nbsp;met with a &quot;Russian government lawyer&quot;, despite Trump Jr himself admitting he&nbsp;met&nbsp;with a &quot;Russian government lawyer.

He&nbsp;published emails that clearly showing&nbsp;the date of the meeting with the&nbsp;&quot;Russian government lawyer&quot;&nbsp;in Trump Tower. Nobody on either side denies the meeting took place. There is no reason to suppose it didn&#39;t.

Yet 32&nbsp;per cent of Trump voters said they do not believe the meeting took place, while 24&nbsp;per cent aren&#39;t sure.

An interview with Trump&nbsp;can be revealing, in a way, but&nbsp;investigators must&nbsp;go far beyond his words and search his financial records.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The comments come in a wide-ranging New York Times interview

Donald Trump made some comments to the New York Times in an interview that will make raise the eyebrows of Trump critics already suspicious of his connection to Russia. He told the NYT that he would not have chosen Attorney General Jeff Sessions if he had known that Sessions would recuse himself from the Russia probe. Is this not tantamount to Trump admitting that the real purpose of his attorney general is to protect him from the Russia scandal? Whatever else he thinks of Sessions' job up to now apparently means nothing if Sessions cannot keep him insulated from the Russia investigation. Sessions' recusal allowed for the appointment of special investigator Robert S Mueller III. Sessions recused himself from anything to do with Trump-Russia after it became known that he had misled the public, denying under oath he met with any Russians during the election when in fact he had met twice with Russian Ambassador Sergei Kislyak. Trump called Sessions' recusal "very unfair to the president". The President did not explain why the highest legal authority in the country deciding to recuse himself on investigations after possibly committing perjury related to them is unfair. Trump's finances 'beyond Russia probe' In the Times interview, asked if Mueller's investigation would cross a line if it investigated Trump's finances beyond the Russia probe, Trump responded "I would say, yes. "I think that's a violation. Look, this is about Russia," Trump said. But that's just it: Trump is accused of being deeply connected to Russia, and the fact that it is impossible to tell where his personal finances end and his political connections to Russia begin is precisely what's being investigated. It is impossible to investigate Trump's connnections to Russia without examining all his financial ties to Russia. Trump must know this. His attacks on Mueller tell me a lot. He KNOWS how bad it is. His "warning" to Mueller tells me finally understands how bad it is. — Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) July 20, 2017 × For example, Jared Kushner, Trump's son in law and a White House adviser, failed to disclose on his security form that just before the 2016 election his company borrowed $285 million from Deutsche Bank to purchase a Manhattan building owned by Lev Leviev, a self-described "true friend" of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Incidentally, Kushner denied having any foreign contacts on his security clearance form, a serious form necessary to get White House clearance. He has revised his form multiple times since new revelations were made public, and now the amount of foreign contacts has increased from 0 to over 100. Misrepresenting information on this form is a felony that risks five years of jail time. Trump chose not to make his tax return public, the first presidential candidate not to take this basic step of transparency in about forty years. First Trump said he would disclose his tax return, then said he was prevented from doing so because he was under audit (it's true he was under audit, but false that he was prevented him from making them public), then flat out said he wouldn't. On January 22 spokesman Kellyanne Conway said he would not release his taxes after all because "nobody cares". This also is not true. Over 60 per cent of Americans want Trump to release his taxes publicly. Trump's base believes nothing the media says, even when a Trump says it "I don't think we're under investigation," Trump told the New York Times. He knows this is not true. "I'm not under investigation. For what? I didn't do anything wrong," Trump lied. He is under multiple investigations, including a criminal one for alleged obstruction of justice since firing James Comey, the former FBI Director who was investigating Trump's Russian connections. It's impossible to be under multiple investigations and fire the person leading the most high-profile one without knowing you're under investigation. But premeditated, repeated lying has benefited the Trumps. Repeated attacks on the media have had their intended effect: An enormous per cent of his base believes in the Trump's innocence despite what the media carries, even when the Trump's themselves admit their guilt. According to a recent poll, almost one third of Trump voters do not believe Donald Trump Jr met with a "Russian government lawyer", despite Trump Jr himself admitting he met with a "Russian government lawyer. He published emails that clearly showing the date of the meeting with the "Russian government lawyer" in Trump Tower. Nobody on either side denies the meeting took place. There is no reason to suppose it didn't. Yet 32 per cent of Trump voters said they do not believe the meeting took place, while 24 per cent aren't sure. An interview with Trump can be revealing, in a way, but investigators must go far beyond his words and search his financial records.

Trump: 'Sessions should never have recused himself", warns Mueller about investigating his finances

US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a second, previously undisclosed conversation during a dinner for G20 leaders at a summit earlier this month in Germany, a White House official confirmed on Tuesday.

The two leaders held a formal two-hour bilateral meeting on July 7 in which Trump later said Putin denied allegations that he directed efforts to meddle in the 2016 US presidential election.

The White House official did not say how long the second meeting took place or what was discussed.

The second conversation between Trump and Putin took place during a dinner for the Group of 20 heads of state and their spouses in Hamburg, said Ian Bremmer, the president of political risk consultancy Eurasia Group, who was first to report the meeting in a note to clients.

Television coverage of the dinner showed that first lady Melania Trump was seated next to Putin.

Bremmer said Trump got up from his seat halfway through dinner and spent about an hour talking &quot;privately and animatedly&quot; with Putin, &quot;joined only by Putin&#39;s own translator&quot;.

The lack of a US translator raised eyebrows among other leaders at the dinner, said Bremmer, who called it a &quot;breach of national security protocol&quot;.

Trump is under intense scrutiny by Congress and a special counsel investigating Russian interference into the 2016 presidential election, and probing whether Trump&#39;s campaign had ties to the activity. Trump has denied collusion between his campaign and Moscow. 
&nbsp;

Trump spent about an hour talking 'privately and animatedly' with Putin, 'joined only by Putin's own translator', which raised eyebrows

US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a second, previously undisclosed conversation during a dinner for G20 leaders at a summit earlier this month in Germany, a White House official confirmed on Tuesday. The two leaders held a formal two-hour bilateral meeting on July 7 in which Trump later said Putin denied allegations that he directed efforts to meddle in the 2016 US presidential election. The White House official did not say how long the second meeting took place or what was discussed. The second conversation between Trump and Putin took place during a dinner for the Group of 20 heads of state and their spouses in Hamburg, said Ian Bremmer, the president of political risk consultancy Eurasia Group, who was first to report the meeting in a note to clients. Television coverage of the dinner showed that first lady Melania Trump was seated next to Putin. Bremmer said Trump got up from his seat halfway through dinner and spent about an hour talking "privately and animatedly" with Putin, "joined only by Putin's own translator". The lack of a US translator raised eyebrows among other leaders at the dinner, said Bremmer, who called it a "breach of national security protocol". Trump is under intense scrutiny by Congress and a special counsel investigating Russian interference into the 2016 presidential election, and probing whether Trump's campaign had ties to the activity. Trump has denied collusion between his campaign and Moscow.

Trump, Putin held a second, undisclosed meeting at G20: White House

The Kremlin on Monday demanded that Washington unconditionally restore its access to diplomatic compounds in the United States, with a senior Russian official saying the row had &quot;almost&quot; been resolved following hours-long talks.

Russia is angry that Washington is still barring its diplomats from using two compounds in the states of New York and Maryland.

In December, then US president Barack Obama ordered the ban in response to Russian meddling in the US election. Multiple US intelligence agencies&nbsp;conclude that&nbsp;Russia interfered in the 2016 US election in order to help get Donald Trump elected president.

On December 29, 2016, President Obama said the compounds were &quot;used by Russian personnel for intelligence-related purposes,&quot; and Obama gave them 24 hours to vacate the premises.

&quot;We consider it absolutely unacceptable to place conditions on the return of diplomatic property, we consider that it must be returned without any conditions and talking,&quot; Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists.

When President Vladimir Putin and US counterpart Donald Trump met for the first time at the G20 summit in Hamburg this month, the Kremlin strongman raised the question of the diplomatic sites &quot;quite unambiguously,&quot; Peskov said. &quot;We still hope our American colleagues will show political wisdom and political will,&quot; he added.

In Hamburg US President Trump had said he intended to work with Russia on &quot;cybersecurity&quot;, which was met with criticism and even some shock, given that Russia conducted what The <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/13/us/politics/russia-hack-election-dnc.html?rref=collection%2Fnewseventcollection%2Frussian-election-hacking&amp;action=click&amp;contentCollection=politics&amp;region=rank&amp;module=package&amp;version=highlights&amp;contentPlacement=1&amp;pgtype=collection&amp;_r=0" target="_blank">New York Times</a> has called &quot;cyberespionage and information-warfare campaign devised to disrupt the 2016 election&quot;.&nbsp;

The row over the spy compounds was high on the agenda at talks in Washington on Monday between Thomas Shannon, the US State Department&#39;s number&nbsp;three, and Russia&#39;s deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov. Those talks, which lasted three hours, had originally been scheduled for June, but Russia cancelled them at the time, citing new US sanctions linked to the conflict in Ukraine.

After the meeting Ryabkov, asked by journalists if the issue of the diplomatic compounds had been resolved, replied: &quot;Almost, almost&quot;. There was no word from the US side.

&nbsp;

&#39;Counter actions&#39;

At the time in December when&nbsp;Obama announced that he would&nbsp;shut&nbsp;down the compounds&nbsp;Moscow used for &quot;intelligence-related purposes,&quot;&nbsp;expelling&nbsp;35 Russian diplomats for spying, Putin held off from retaliating, saying he would wait to see how Trump reacted after he came into the White House.&nbsp;

But hope that Trump would follow up on campaign pledges to boost relations have fizzled as any ties to Moscow have become toxic for the White House amid a maelstrom of US investigations into possible collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign.&nbsp;

Now Russia has ratcheted up threats that it could belatedly take revenge by blocking a country house and a storage facility used by the US Embassy in Moscow.

&quot;If Washington decides not to solve this issue, we will have to take counter actions,&quot; Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said last week.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova complained last week that the US was also refusing to issue visas for Russian diplomats to replace those expelled.

&nbsp;

Russia was given 24 hours to vacate the compound, and 35 diplomats were expelled, because it was used for 'intelligence-gathering'

The Kremlin on Monday demanded that Washington unconditionally restore its access to diplomatic compounds in the United States, with a senior Russian official saying the row had "almost" been resolved following hours-long talks. Russia is angry that Washington is still barring its diplomats from using two compounds in the states of New York and Maryland. In December, then US president Barack Obama ordered the ban in response to Russian meddling in the US election. Multiple US intelligence agencies conclude that Russia interfered in the 2016 US election in order to help get Donald Trump elected president. On December 29, 2016, President Obama said the compounds were "used by Russian personnel for intelligence-related purposes," and Obama gave them 24 hours to vacate the premises. "We consider it absolutely unacceptable to place conditions on the return of diplomatic property, we consider that it must be returned without any conditions and talking," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists. When President Vladimir Putin and US counterpart Donald Trump met for the first time at the G20 summit in Hamburg this month, the Kremlin strongman raised the question of the diplomatic sites "quite unambiguously," Peskov said. "We still hope our American colleagues will show political wisdom and political will," he added. In Hamburg US President Trump had said he intended to work with Russia on "cybersecurity", which was met with criticism and even some shock, given that Russia conducted what The New York Times has called "cyberespionage and information-warfare campaign devised to disrupt the 2016 election". The row over the spy compounds was high on the agenda at talks in Washington on Monday between Thomas Shannon, the US State Department's number three, and Russia's deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov. Those talks, which lasted three hours, had originally been scheduled for June, but Russia cancelled them at the time, citing new US sanctions linked to the conflict in Ukraine. After the meeting Ryabkov, asked by journalists if the issue of the diplomatic compounds had been resolved, replied: "Almost, almost". There was no word from the US side. 'Counter actions' At the time in December when Obama announced that he would shut down the compounds Moscow used for "intelligence-related purposes," expelling 35 Russian diplomats for spying, Putin held off from retaliating, saying he would wait to see how Trump reacted after he came into the White House. But hope that Trump would follow up on campaign pledges to boost relations have fizzled as any ties to Moscow have become toxic for the White House amid a maelstrom of US investigations into possible collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign. Now Russia has ratcheted up threats that it could belatedly take revenge by blocking a country house and a storage facility used by the US Embassy in Moscow. "If Washington decides not to solve this issue, we will have to take counter actions," Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said last week. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova complained last week that the US was also refusing to issue visas for Russian diplomats to replace those expelled.

Russia says Trump 'almost' ready to hand over compound Obama withdrew for meddling in US election

US President Donald Trump&#39;s eldest son on Tuesday released emails showing he embraced Russia&#39;s efforts to support his father&#39;s presidential campaign, and admitting he would &quot;love&quot; to get dirt from Moscow on Hillary Clinton.

Donald Trump Jr was told by an interlocutor that he could get &quot;very high level and sensitive information&quot; that was &quot;part of Russia and its government&#39;s support for Mr. Trump.&quot;

Trump, 39, responded &quot;if it&#39;s what you say I love it&quot; and set up a meeting with the source, according to the emails.

The email chain, released in its entirety by Donald Jr on his Twitter account shortly before The New York Times published it, effectively confirms that he believed Moscow was behind the compromising information about Clinton that he hoped to receive at a meeting last year with a Kremlin-connected Russian lawyer.

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Here&#39;s my statement and the full email chain <a href="https://t.co/x050r5n5LQ">pic.twitter.com/x050r5n5LQ</a>
&mdash; Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) <a href="https://twitter.com/DonaldJTrumpJr/status/884789418455953413">July 11, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Donald Jr, however, added that he did not tell his father about meeting the meeting.

He told Fox News that he did not bother to brief his father on his encounter with Natalia Veselnitskaya as it had been a &quot;waste&quot; of time -- but wished he had handled things differently in hindsight.

Asked whether he had spoken to his father either before or after the meeting last June ion New York, he told the network&#39;s Hannity show: &quot;No. It was just a nothing. There was nothing to tell.&quot;

&quot;It was literally just a wasted 20 minutes, which was a shame,&quot; he added.

The disclosure places the president&#39;s son at the center of a burgeoning scandal involving multiple US investigations into whether Trump associates colluded with Russia last year in its covert efforts to tip the 2016 elections to the Republican billionaire.

Donald Jr had initially dismissed the meeting he arranged with the Russian lawyer, Natalia Veselnitskaya, as having to do with adoptions, but then offered shifting explanations as more details emerged.

In the emails released Tuesday, Rob Goldstone, a publicist close to the Trumps, tells Donald Jr that he has learned of a Russian offer of compromising material on Clinton from a pop singer he represented, Emin Agalorov.

&quot;The Crown Prosecutor of Russia met with his father Aras this morning and in their meeting offered to provide the Trump campaign with some official documents and information that would incriminate Hillary and her dealings with Russia and would be very useful to your father,&quot; Goldstone wrote in a June 3, 2016 email.

&quot;This is obviously very high level and sensitive information but is part of Russia and its government support for Mr. Trump - helped along by Aras and Emin,&quot; he added.

Donald Jr responded less than 20 minutes later, according to the chain of emails entitled &quot;Russia - Clinton - private and confidential.&quot;&nbsp;

&quot;Thanks Rob I appreciate that. I am on the road at the moment but perhaps I just speak to Emin first. Seems we have some time and if it&#39;s what you say I love it especially later in the summer.&quot;

In an interview with NBC News, Veselnitskaya said: &quot;It&#39;s possible that maybe they were looking for such information&quot; about the Clinton campaign.&nbsp;

&quot;They wanted it so badly,&quot; she added.

US intelligence agencies have concluded that Russian President Vladimir Putin approved a mass effort to tilt the election in Trump&#39;s favor, including hacking and leaking embarrassing emails from Democrats.

The New York Times reported that Paul Manafort and Jared Kushner, two of Trump&#39;s most trusted campaign officials, also attended the meeting with Veselnitskaya and Donald Jr last year.

The Kremlin has said it &quot;did not know who&quot; Veselnitskaya was.&nbsp;

&quot;We can&#39;t be aware of all the meetings Russian lawyers have abroad,&quot; said spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

Donald Trump Jr was told by an interlocutor that he could get 'very high level and sensitive information' that was 'part of Russia and its government's support for Mr Trump'

US President Donald Trump's eldest son on Tuesday released emails showing he embraced Russia's efforts to support his father's presidential campaign, and admitting he would "love" to get dirt from Moscow on Hillary Clinton. Donald Trump Jr was told by an interlocutor that he could get "very high level and sensitive information" that was "part of Russia and its government's support for Mr. Trump." Trump, 39, responded "if it's what you say I love it" and set up a meeting with the source, according to the emails. The email chain, released in its entirety by Donald Jr on his Twitter account shortly before The New York Times published it, effectively confirms that he believed Moscow was behind the compromising information about Clinton that he hoped to receive at a meeting last year with a Kremlin-connected Russian lawyer. Here's my statement and the full email chain pic.twitter.com/x050r5n5LQ — Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) July 11, 2017 × Donald Jr, however, added that he did not tell his father about meeting the meeting. He told Fox News that he did not bother to brief his father on his encounter with Natalia Veselnitskaya as it had been a "waste" of time -- but wished he had handled things differently in hindsight. Asked whether he had spoken to his father either before or after the meeting last June ion New York, he told the network's Hannity show: "No. It was just a nothing. There was nothing to tell." "It was literally just a wasted 20 minutes, which was a shame," he added. The disclosure places the president's son at the center of a burgeoning scandal involving multiple US investigations into whether Trump associates colluded with Russia last year in its covert efforts to tip the 2016 elections to the Republican billionaire. Donald Jr had initially dismissed the meeting he arranged with the Russian lawyer, Natalia Veselnitskaya, as having to do with adoptions, but then offered shifting explanations as more details emerged. In the emails released Tuesday, Rob Goldstone, a publicist close to the Trumps, tells Donald Jr that he has learned of a Russian offer of compromising material on Clinton from a pop singer he represented, Emin Agalorov. "The Crown Prosecutor of Russia met with his father Aras this morning and in their meeting offered to provide the Trump campaign with some official documents and information that would incriminate Hillary and her dealings with Russia and would be very useful to your father," Goldstone wrote in a June 3, 2016 email. "This is obviously very high level and sensitive information but is part of Russia and its government support for Mr. Trump - helped along by Aras and Emin," he added. Donald Jr responded less than 20 minutes later, according to the chain of emails entitled "Russia - Clinton - private and confidential." "Thanks Rob I appreciate that. I am on the road at the moment but perhaps I just speak to Emin first. Seems we have some time and if it's what you say I love it especially later in the summer." In an interview with NBC News, Veselnitskaya said: "It's possible that maybe they were looking for such information" about the Clinton campaign. "They wanted it so badly," she added. US intelligence agencies have concluded that Russian President Vladimir Putin approved a mass effort to tilt the election in Trump's favor, including hacking and leaking embarrassing emails from Democrats. The New York Times reported that Paul Manafort and Jared Kushner, two of Trump's most trusted campaign officials, also attended the meeting with Veselnitskaya and Donald Jr last year. The Kremlin has said it "did not know who" Veselnitskaya was. "We can't be aware of all the meetings Russian lawyers have abroad," said spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

Trump son said he would 'love' Russian dirt on Clinton: Emails

US President Donald Trump admitted that Russia may have interfered in the 2016 US election of which he was proclaimed the winner, but said that other countries may also have been involved, AFP reports.&nbsp;

&quot;I&#39;ve said it very simply. I think it could very well have been Russia. I think it could well have been other countries. I won&#39;t be specific. But I think a lot of people interfere,&quot; Trump said while in Warsaw.

On January 10, 2017, Trump&nbsp;told reporters, &quot;as far as hacking, I think it was Russia,&quot; reports the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/11/us/politics/trumps-press-conference-highlights-russia.html" target="_blank">New York Times</a>, marking the first time he agreed with multiple&nbsp;US intelligence agencies which&nbsp;conclude&nbsp;that Russia interfered in the election&nbsp;to help him, Trump, win.

But then moments later Trump&nbsp;compared US intelligence agencies to Nazis&nbsp;and dodged questions about whether he or anyone on his team had contact with Russia during the election. &quot;They said it totally never happened,&quot; Trump said of Russia denying their involvement in the hack.&nbsp;&quot;I respected the fact that he said that,&quot; Trump said of Russia&#39;s denial,&nbsp;adding, &quot;it could have been others also&quot;.&nbsp;

About the fact that there was an&nbsp;election breach, Trump has shown little outrage, then or since.

Another major NATO&nbsp;power&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/angela-merkel-warns-of-possible-russian-interference-in-german-elections-8547" target="_blank">Germany</a>&nbsp;has since said they fear Russian interference in their election. Emmanuel Macron&#39;s campaign team has also blamed Russia for a &quot;<a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/05/05/macron-campaign-blasts-massive-hacking-attack-ahead-french-presidential/" target="_blank">massive hacking attack</a>&quot; days before the French election, that he eventually won.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Election fraud or voter suppression?

Trump has launched an investigation into alleged voter fraud, in what he called without evidence a &quot;rigged&quot; election, in order to prove that Clinton, who won the popular vote by about 3 million votes, did not really&nbsp;win the popular vote.

Donald Trump lost the popular vote by more than any US president in American history.

President Trump&#39;s&nbsp;commission has sought to obtain the personal data of voters, including the &quot;name, address, date of birth, party affiliation, last four Social Security number digits and voting history back to 2006 of potentially every voter in the state&quot;, reports the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/wp/2017/06/30/voting-hypocrisy-on-the-right-rebellion-from-the-states/?utm_term=.7b2da12e367b" target="_blank">Washington Post.</a>

So far 44 states have refused. Virginia&#39;s judge issued a blunt denial, along with the reasoning behind it:

&quot;I have no intention of honouring this request. Virginia conducts fair, honest, and democratic elections, and there is no evidence of significant voter fraud in Virginia.

&quot;This entire commission is based on the specious and false notion that there was widespread voter fraud last November. At best this commission was set up as a pretext to validate Donald Trump&#39;s alternative election facts, and at worse is a tool to commit large-scale voter suppression.&quot;

&nbsp;

In January Trump had conceded 'as far as hacking, I think it was Russia', but then compared US intelligence agencies who agreed to Nazis

US President Donald Trump admitted that Russia may have interfered in the 2016 US election of which he was proclaimed the winner, but said that other countries may also have been involved, AFP reports. "I've said it very simply. I think it could very well have been Russia. I think it could well have been other countries. I won't be specific. But I think a lot of people interfere," Trump said while in Warsaw. On January 10, 2017, Trump told reporters, "as far as hacking, I think it was Russia," reports the New York Times, marking the first time he agreed with multiple US intelligence agencies which conclude that Russia interfered in the election to help him, Trump, win. But then moments later Trump compared US intelligence agencies to Nazis and dodged questions about whether he or anyone on his team had contact with Russia during the election. "They said it totally never happened," Trump said of Russia denying their involvement in the hack. "I respected the fact that he said that," Trump said of Russia's denial, adding, "it could have been others also". About the fact that there was an election breach, Trump has shown little outrage, then or since. Another major NATO power Germany has since said they fear Russian interference in their election. Emmanuel Macron's campaign team has also blamed Russia for a "massive hacking attack" days before the French election, that he eventually won. Election fraud or voter suppression? Trump has launched an investigation into alleged voter fraud, in what he called without evidence a "rigged" election, in order to prove that Clinton, who won the popular vote by about 3 million votes, did not really win the popular vote. Donald Trump lost the popular vote by more than any US president in American history. President Trump's commission has sought to obtain the personal data of voters, including the "name, address, date of birth, party affiliation, last four Social Security number digits and voting history back to 2006 of potentially every voter in the state", reports the Washington Post. So far 44 states have refused. Virginia's judge issued a blunt denial, along with the reasoning behind it: "I have no intention of honouring this request. Virginia conducts fair, honest, and democratic elections, and there is no evidence of significant voter fraud in Virginia. "This entire commission is based on the specious and false notion that there was widespread voter fraud last November. At best this commission was set up as a pretext to validate Donald Trump's alternative election facts, and at worse is a tool to commit large-scale voter suppression."

Russia 'could have' interfered with 2016 US election, says US President Trump

A decision to restore a memorial plaque to Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin at a state-run Moscow university has sparked outrage as another sign that officials are trying to whitewash his crimes, AFP reports.

The Moscow State Law University last month reinstated the Soviet-era plaque marking a speech delivered there by Stalin in 1924. It was removed in the 1960s.&nbsp;

More than 21,000 people have since signed an online petition on Change.org launched by a former student demanding it be taken down.&nbsp;

&quot;We are deeply concerned about the rehabilitation of the Stalinist regime in Russia in general and in this case in particular,&quot; the petition said. The decision saw a prominent rights lawyer and professors of another college break their ties with the university in protest.

But the Kremlin&#39;s human rights ombudsman Tatyana Moskalkova has argued that the plaque helps &quot;future lawyers remember how important it is not to slip into repression&quot;.

&quot;There is a similar plaque in the foreign ministry,&quot; she was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies.&nbsp;Officials at the State Law Academy did not comment when contacted by AFP.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Repression?

This comes the same day as Russian investigators raided the Moscow election headquarters of Alexei Navalny, a prominent Kremlin critic, Reuters reports. Police also entered a warehouse, where activists claim the police confiscated pre-election pamphlets.

Russian investigators raided the Moscow election headquarters of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny on Thursday and police entered a warehouse, where activists said they confiscated pre-election pamphlets.

Navalny says that he wants to run for the Russian presidency in next year&#39;s March election, but the Central Election Commission claims he is ineligible due to a conviction for embezzlement. Navalny maintains this was politically-motivated.

&nbsp;

Changing historical narrative

The furore comes as critics accuse the authorities under President Vladimir Putin of minimising Stalin&#39;s crimes. Officials have increasingly sought to focus on Stalin&#39;s role in winning World War II and downplaying the millions of people executed and sent to labour camps during his rule.&nbsp;

Stalin this month topped a Russian opinion poll as the greatest figure in its history, ahead of current Putin in second place.&nbsp;

Prominent Russian writers--from&nbsp;Varlam Shalamov, Andrei Sinyansky and most famously Nobel Prize winner Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn--were sent to labour camps by Stalin for their writing&nbsp;and they documented their horrors&nbsp;in a genre known as &quot;gulag literature&quot;, named after the acronym for the Russian name meaning Chief Administration of Corrective Labour Camps.

(With agency inputs)

Russian officials increasingly focus on Stalin's role in winning World War II and downplay the millions he executed and sent to labour camps

A decision to restore a memorial plaque to Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin at a state-run Moscow university has sparked outrage as another sign that officials are trying to whitewash his crimes, AFP reports. The Moscow State Law University last month reinstated the Soviet-era plaque marking a speech delivered there by Stalin in 1924. It was removed in the 1960s. More than 21,000 people have since signed an online petition on Change.org launched by a former student demanding it be taken down. "We are deeply concerned about the rehabilitation of the Stalinist regime in Russia in general and in this case in particular," the petition said. The decision saw a prominent rights lawyer and professors of another college break their ties with the university in protest. But the Kremlin's human rights ombudsman Tatyana Moskalkova has argued that the plaque helps "future lawyers remember how important it is not to slip into repression". "There is a similar plaque in the foreign ministry," she was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies. Officials at the State Law Academy did not comment when contacted by AFP. Repression? This comes the same day as Russian investigators raided the Moscow election headquarters of Alexei Navalny, a prominent Kremlin critic, Reuters reports. Police also entered a warehouse, where activists claim the police confiscated pre-election pamphlets. Russian investigators raided the Moscow election headquarters of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny on Thursday and police entered a warehouse, where activists said they confiscated pre-election pamphlets. Navalny says that he wants to run for the Russian presidency in next year's March election, but the Central Election Commission claims he is ineligible due to a conviction for embezzlement. Navalny maintains this was politically-motivated. Changing historical narrative The furore comes as critics accuse the authorities under President Vladimir Putin of minimising Stalin's crimes. Officials have increasingly sought to focus on Stalin's role in winning World War II and downplaying the millions of people executed and sent to labour camps during his rule. Stalin this month topped a Russian opinion poll as the greatest figure in its history, ahead of current Putin in second place. Prominent Russian writers--from Varlam Shalamov, Andrei Sinyansky and most famously Nobel Prize winner Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn--were sent to labour camps by Stalin for their writing and they documented their horrors in a genre known as "gulag literature", named after the acronym for the Russian name meaning Chief Administration of Corrective Labour Camps. (With agency inputs)

Stalin plaque, returned today after 1960s removal, stirs outcry at Moscow university

Germany expects Russia to seek to influence its general election on September&nbsp;24, Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said on Tuesday, adding that data stolen in a 2015 hack of the lower house of parliament could surface in the coming weeks, AFP reports.

Hans-Georg Maassen, Germany&#39;s domestic intelligence agency head, said at the same news conference that there were no indications Russia would back any particular party.

&quot;A large volume of data was taken during the 2015 Bundestag hack,&quot; de Maiziere said. &quot;We expect some of that information could emerge in coming weeks.&quot;

 
Other recent&nbsp;election hacks by Russia

US intelligence agencies agree that Russia deliberately interefered with the US election in order to help elect Donald Trump. Several investigations are underway, including a criminal one against Donald Trump, aiming to determine what exactly Russia did, and whether or not the&nbsp;Trump administration actively colluded with Russia.&nbsp;

Russia denies this charge. Trump has repeatedly called &quot;the whole Russia thing&quot; &quot;a hoax&quot;, and &quot;Fake News&quot;, but has also said &quot;regarding&nbsp;the hacking, I think it was Russia&quot;.

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wnXaZxqOXDE" width="560"></iframe>

Hackers with connections to the Russian government played a role in the effort to damage Emmanuel Macron&#39;s presidential campaign by leaking emails and documents in advance of the election, <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-france-election-russia-idUSKBN1852KO" target="_blank">Reuters </a>reported, citing two US intelligence officials.

Last week Ukraine&nbsp;blamed Russian security services for a cyber attacked that started in that country&nbsp;and spread around the world. Ukraine maintains that Russia&#39;s aim was to destroy important data and spread panic.&nbsp;Massen, the German domestic intelligence head , said his agency has no reliable evidence that it was carried out by Russia.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

There is a fear that data stolen in 2015 will resurface, though an intelligence head said there is no indication which party Russia would support

Germany expects Russia to seek to influence its general election on September 24, Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said on Tuesday, adding that data stolen in a 2015 hack of the lower house of parliament could surface in the coming weeks, AFP reports. Hans-Georg Maassen, Germany's domestic intelligence agency head, said at the same news conference that there were no indications Russia would back any particular party. "A large volume of data was taken during the 2015 Bundestag hack," de Maiziere said. "We expect some of that information could emerge in coming weeks." Other recent election hacks by Russia US intelligence agencies agree that Russia deliberately interefered with the US election in order to help elect Donald Trump. Several investigations are underway, including a criminal one against Donald Trump, aiming to determine what exactly Russia did, and whether or not the Trump administration actively colluded with Russia. Russia denies this charge. Trump has repeatedly called "the whole Russia thing" "a hoax", and "Fake News", but has also said "regarding the hacking, I think it was Russia". Hackers with connections to the Russian government played a role in the effort to damage Emmanuel Macron's presidential campaign by leaking emails and documents in advance of the election, Reuters reported, citing two US intelligence officials. Last week Ukraine blamed Russian security services for a cyber attacked that started in that country and spread around the world. Ukraine maintains that Russia's aim was to destroy important data and spread panic. Massen, the German domestic intelligence head , said his agency has no reliable evidence that it was carried out by Russia.

Germany expects Russian effort to influence election: Interior minister

During his presidential campaign, Republican Donald Trump praised Russian President Vladimir Putin as a &quot;strong leader&quot; with whom he&rsquo;d like to reset tense US-Russian relations.

But as Trump heads to his first face-to-face meeting as president with Putin on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Germany on July 7-8, he is under pressure at home to take a tough line with the Kremlin.

Allegations of Russian meddling in last year&rsquo;s US&nbsp;elections have alarmed both Republican and Democratic lawmakers, who are pushing to extend tough sanctions placed on Russia following its 2014 annexation of Crimea, a peninsula belonging to Ukraine.

Lawmakers including Cory Gardner, a Republican senator from Colorado, are also concerned Russia has prolonged the civil war in Syria by backing its President Bashar al-Assad, a strongman whose forces have used chemical weapons against insurgents and civilians. The chaos has fueled instability in the region and a flood of migrants to Europe.

&quot;President (Trump) needs to make it clear that the continued aggression by Russia around the globe...is unacceptable, and that they will be held accountable,&quot; said Gardner, who was among six lawmakers invited by the White House last month to discuss foreign policy with Trump over dinner.

Meanwhile, the appointment of a special counsel who is investigating potential links between the Russian government and members of the Trump campaign has weakened the president&rsquo;s ability to maneuver with Russia, foreign policy experts say.

The US&nbsp;intelligence community has concluded Russia sponsored hacking of Democratic Party groups last year to benefit Trump over his Democrat challenger Hillary Clinton. Russia has denied those allegations while Trump has repeatedly dismissed the idea of any coordination between his campaign and Russia as a &quot;witch hunt&quot;.

Still, just the optics of Trump meeting with Putin, a former KGB agent, are fraught with risk, foreign policy experts say.

&quot;If (Trump) smiles, if he wraps his arm around Putin, if he says &#39;I&#39;m honoured to meet you, we&#39;re going to find a way forward,&#39; ... I think Congress is going to react extremely negatively to that,&quot; said Julie Smith, a former national security aide in the Obama administration.

&nbsp;

EVOLVING US&nbsp;POLICY

Trump has signaled an interest in cooperating with Russia to defeat Islamic State in Syria and to reduce nuclear stockpiles.

The White House has been mum on what Trump would be willing to give Russia in exchange for that help. But there has been speculation he could ratchet down sanctions, or even return two Russian diplomatic compounds in Maryland and Long Island.

President Barack Obama seized those facilities and expelled 35 Russian diplomats just before he left office as punishment for the election hacks.

While some administration officials, including Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, also support engagement, others, such as Vice President Mike Pence and US&nbsp;ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, have taken a hawkish line on Russia.

The lack of a unified strategy has left US&nbsp;allies anxious. And it has lowered expectations for American leadership to help resolve crises in Syria and Ukraine, where Russian cooperation would be critical.

&quot;Trump is like a horse with his front legs tied,&quot; said a German diplomat, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity. &quot;He can&rsquo;t make any big leaps forward on Russia. If he tried people would immediately suspect it was all part of some big conspiracy.&quot;

Trump&#39;s administration is still reviewing its Russia policy, a process that may not be wrapped up for a couple of months, a US&nbsp;official said.

Speaking with reporters last week about Trump&#39;s upcoming meeting with Putin, White House national security adviser HR&nbsp;McMaster said his boss would like &quot;the United States and the entire West to develop a more constructive relationship with Russia. But he&rsquo;s also made clear that we will do what is necessary to confront Russia&rsquo;s destabilising behavior.&quot;

&nbsp;

THIRD TRY AT A RESET

Trump is just the latest president to grapple with the complicated US-Russia dynamic. George W&nbsp;Bush and Obama sought to improve the US&nbsp;relationship with Russia early in their administrations only to see relations deteriorate later.

Among the concerns for this president is Trump&rsquo;s apparent lack of interest in policy details and his tendency to wing it with foreign leaders. McMaster told reporters that Trump has &quot;no specific agenda&quot; for his meeting with Putin and that topics would consist of &quot;whatever the president wants to talk about&quot;.

Michael McFaul, who was US&nbsp;ambassador to Russia under Obama, said he feared Trump might be headed to the meeting without clear objectives.

&ldquo;I hope that he would think about first: What is our objective in Ukraine? What is our objective in Syria? And secondarily, how do I go about achieving that in my meeting with Putin?&quot; McFaul said.

Other Washington veterans say Trump won&#39;t be able to make meaningful progress with Russia on anything until he confronts Putin about the suspected election meddling.

&quot;(Trump) really has to raise the Russian election hacking last year, and has to say something like, &#39;Vladimir, don&#39;t do this again. There will be consequences,&#39;&quot; said Steve Pifer, a long-time State Department official focused on US-Russia relations.

So far Trump has shown little inclination to do so, a situation that has heightened speculation about the potential impact from his coming encounter with the Russian leader.

&ldquo;The shadow of all these investigations hangs over this,&rdquo; said Angela Stent, a professor at Georgetown University and former National Intelligence Officer for Russia.

Among the concerns is Trump?s apparent lack of interest in policy details and his tendency to wing it with foreign leaders

During his presidential campaign, Republican Donald Trump praised Russian President Vladimir Putin as a "strong leader" with whom he’d like to reset tense US-Russian relations. But as Trump heads to his first face-to-face meeting as president with Putin on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Germany on July 7-8, he is under pressure at home to take a tough line with the Kremlin. Allegations of Russian meddling in last year’s US elections have alarmed both Republican and Democratic lawmakers, who are pushing to extend tough sanctions placed on Russia following its 2014 annexation of Crimea, a peninsula belonging to Ukraine. Lawmakers including Cory Gardner, a Republican senator from Colorado, are also concerned Russia has prolonged the civil war in Syria by backing its President Bashar al-Assad, a strongman whose forces have used chemical weapons against insurgents and civilians. The chaos has fueled instability in the region and a flood of migrants to Europe. "President (Trump) needs to make it clear that the continued aggression by Russia around the globe...is unacceptable, and that they will be held accountable," said Gardner, who was among six lawmakers invited by the White House last month to discuss foreign policy with Trump over dinner. Meanwhile, the appointment of a special counsel who is investigating potential links between the Russian government and members of the Trump campaign has weakened the president’s ability to maneuver with Russia, foreign policy experts say. The US intelligence community has concluded Russia sponsored hacking of Democratic Party groups last year to benefit Trump over his Democrat challenger Hillary Clinton. Russia has denied those allegations while Trump has repeatedly dismissed the idea of any coordination between his campaign and Russia as a "witch hunt". Still, just the optics of Trump meeting with Putin, a former KGB agent, are fraught with risk, foreign policy experts say. "If (Trump) smiles, if he wraps his arm around Putin, if he says 'I'm honoured to meet you, we're going to find a way forward,' ... I think Congress is going to react extremely negatively to that," said Julie Smith, a former national security aide in the Obama administration. EVOLVING US POLICY Trump has signaled an interest in cooperating with Russia to defeat Islamic State in Syria and to reduce nuclear stockpiles. The White House has been mum on what Trump would be willing to give Russia in exchange for that help. But there has been speculation he could ratchet down sanctions, or even return two Russian diplomatic compounds in Maryland and Long Island. President Barack Obama seized those facilities and expelled 35 Russian diplomats just before he left office as punishment for the election hacks. While some administration officials, including Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, also support engagement, others, such as Vice President Mike Pence and US ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, have taken a hawkish line on Russia. The lack of a unified strategy has left US allies anxious. And it has lowered expectations for American leadership to help resolve crises in Syria and Ukraine, where Russian cooperation would be critical. "Trump is like a horse with his front legs tied," said a German diplomat, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity. "He can’t make any big leaps forward on Russia. If he tried people would immediately suspect it was all part of some big conspiracy." Trump's administration is still reviewing its Russia policy, a process that may not be wrapped up for a couple of months, a US official said. Speaking with reporters last week about Trump's upcoming meeting with Putin, White House national security adviser HR McMaster said his boss would like "the United States and the entire West to develop a more constructive relationship with Russia. But he’s also made clear that we will do what is necessary to confront Russia’s destabilising behavior." THIRD TRY AT A RESET Trump is just the latest president to grapple with the complicated US-Russia dynamic. George W Bush and Obama sought to improve the US relationship with Russia early in their administrations only to see relations deteriorate later. Among the concerns for this president is Trump’s apparent lack of interest in policy details and his tendency to wing it with foreign leaders. McMaster told reporters that Trump has "no specific agenda" for his meeting with Putin and that topics would consist of "whatever the president wants to talk about". Michael McFaul, who was US ambassador to Russia under Obama, said he feared Trump might be headed to the meeting without clear objectives. “I hope that he would think about first: What is our objective in Ukraine? What is our objective in Syria? And secondarily, how do I go about achieving that in my meeting with Putin?" McFaul said. Other Washington veterans say Trump won't be able to make meaningful progress with Russia on anything until he confronts Putin about the suspected election meddling. "(Trump) really has to raise the Russian election hacking last year, and has to say something like, 'Vladimir, don't do this again. There will be consequences,'" said Steve Pifer, a long-time State Department official focused on US-Russia relations. So far Trump has shown little inclination to do so, a situation that has heightened speculation about the potential impact from his coming encounter with the Russian leader. “The shadow of all these investigations hangs over this,” said Angela Stent, a professor at Georgetown University and former National Intelligence Officer for Russia.

Hamstrung at home, Trump seeks closer ties with Russia at upcoming G20 meeting

The Watergate scandal pales in comparison to events in Washington surrounding US&nbsp;President Donald Trump and alleged links between his campaign and Russia, former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said on Wednesday.

Clapper questioned Trump&#39;s continued pro-Russian stance, saying his sharing of intelligence with Russia &quot;reflect either ignorance or disrespect, and either is very problematic&quot;.

&quot;I think if you compare the two that Watergate pales, really, in my view, compared to what we&#39;re confronting now,&quot; Clapper told reporters in Canberra, Australia&#39;s capital.

The break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in the Watergate Hotel in Washington in 1972, and subsequent cover-up, brought down former Republican US&nbsp;President Richard Nixon in 1974.

Clapper&rsquo;s appearance in Canberra comes before highly anticipated testimony by sacked FBI director James Comey before the Senate intelligence committee on Thursday.

The committee is examining whether Trump&rsquo;s campaign colluded with Russian officials to interfere in the US&nbsp;presidential election.

Trump in May removed Comey as director of FBI, despite a US&nbsp;Justice Department probe into contacts between presidential aides and Russia, raising the spectre of political interference in the investigation.

Trump has called the probe a &quot;witch hunt&quot; and said there was no collusion between his campaign and Russia.

Clapper said it was &quot;inexplicable&quot; that Trump continued his pro-Russia stance despite evidence Moscow sought to interfere in the 2016 US&nbsp;presidential election.

&quot;His subsequent actions, sharing sensitive intelligence with the Russians and compromising its source, reflect either ignorance or disrespect and either is very problematic,&quot; said Clapper.

Trump disclosed highly classified information about a planned Islamic State operation to Russia&#39;s foreign minister in an Oval Office meeting in May, two US&nbsp;officials have said.

(Reuters)

'I think if you compare the two that Watergate pales, really, in my view, compared to what we're confronting now'

The Watergate scandal pales in comparison to events in Washington surrounding US President Donald Trump and alleged links between his campaign and Russia, former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said on Wednesday. Clapper questioned Trump's continued pro-Russian stance, saying his sharing of intelligence with Russia "reflect either ignorance or disrespect, and either is very problematic". "I think if you compare the two that Watergate pales, really, in my view, compared to what we're confronting now," Clapper told reporters in Canberra, Australia's capital. The break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in the Watergate Hotel in Washington in 1972, and subsequent cover-up, brought down former Republican US President Richard Nixon in 1974. Clapper’s appearance in Canberra comes before highly anticipated testimony by sacked FBI director James Comey before the Senate intelligence committee on Thursday. The committee is examining whether Trump’s campaign colluded with Russian officials to interfere in the US presidential election. Trump in May removed Comey as director of FBI, despite a US Justice Department probe into contacts between presidential aides and Russia, raising the spectre of political interference in the investigation. Trump has called the probe a "witch hunt" and said there was no collusion between his campaign and Russia. Clapper said it was "inexplicable" that Trump continued his pro-Russia stance despite evidence Moscow sought to interfere in the 2016 US presidential election. "His subsequent actions, sharing sensitive intelligence with the Russians and compromising its source, reflect either ignorance or disrespect and either is very problematic," said Clapper. Trump disclosed highly classified information about a planned Islamic State operation to Russia's foreign minister in an Oval Office meeting in May, two US officials have said. (Reuters)

Watergate 'pales' compared with Trump-Russia: Former US intelligence head

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday (June 1) India was set to become a full-fledged member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in a week&#39;s time.

Putin was speaking at a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is visiting St Petersburg for an annual Russia-India.

&quot;I am very glad to have this opportunity to meet you and to talk on a whole spectrum of bilateral relations as well as international issues. As for our international cooperation, I would like to note just one thing. In a week we secure India&#39;s full fledged entry into the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.&quot;

Modi praised relations between the two countries, saying they were &quot;trust-based&quot;.

&quot;India and Russia have a friendship that goes so far back, are so deep and trust-based that in all issues of the international agenda India and Russia have always stayed together. Soon we will become a full member of the SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organisation) thanks to your proactive role. I want to thank you once again for the support that you provided India to become the SCO full member.&quot;

Putin and Modi are scheduled to take part in the St Petersburg International Economic Forum on Friday (June 2). It will be Modi&#39;s first time taking part in the event as a guest of honour.

The leaders will meet again at the SCO summit on June 8-9 in Kazakhstan&#39;s capital Astana.

Last October, India and Russia signed billions of dollars of defence and energy deals at a summit in Goa that sought to inject new life into a relationship which has been tested by shifting global alliances and conflict in the Middle East.

Modi&#39;s current foreign trip, which included visits to Germany and Spain, aims to boost India&#39;s economic and defence engagement as well as attract additional investment to the country from some of the biggest economies in Europe. 
 
The SCO is a political, economic, and military bloc founded in 2001 in Shanghai by the leaders of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.&nbsp; 
 
(Reuters)

The SCO is a political, economic, and military bloc founded in 2001 in Shanghai by the leaders of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday (June 1) India was set to become a full-fledged member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in a week's time. Putin was speaking at a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is visiting St Petersburg for an annual Russia-India. "I am very glad to have this opportunity to meet you and to talk on a whole spectrum of bilateral relations as well as international issues. As for our international cooperation, I would like to note just one thing. In a week we secure India's full fledged entry into the Shanghai Cooperation Organization." Modi praised relations between the two countries, saying they were "trust-based". "India and Russia have a friendship that goes so far back, are so deep and trust-based that in all issues of the international agenda India and Russia have always stayed together. Soon we will become a full member of the SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organisation) thanks to your proactive role. I want to thank you once again for the support that you provided India to become the SCO full member." Putin and Modi are scheduled to take part in the St Petersburg International Economic Forum on Friday (June 2). It will be Modi's first time taking part in the event as a guest of honour. The leaders will meet again at the SCO summit on June 8-9 in Kazakhstan's capital Astana. Last October, India and Russia signed billions of dollars of defence and energy deals at a summit in Goa that sought to inject new life into a relationship which has been tested by shifting global alliances and conflict in the Middle East. Modi's current foreign trip, which included visits to Germany and Spain, aims to boost India's economic and defence engagement as well as attract additional investment to the country from some of the biggest economies in Europe. The SCO is a political, economic, and military bloc founded in 2001 in Shanghai by the leaders of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. (Reuters)

India to formally become member of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation within a week: President Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin played piano while awaiting Chinese leader Xi Jinping for bilateral talks in Beijing on Sunday.

Putin spoke earlier on Sunday at a summit on China&#39;s new Silk Road plan. He later arrived at state Diaoyutai residence for talks with Xi and other leaders.&nbsp;

While waiting for his bilateral with Xi to begin, Putin played several chords. According to TASS news agency and state Russian television, Putin played passages from Soviet-era songs about Moscow and St Petersburg.

The 64-year-old former KGB spy has demonstrated his skills on the piano in the past although he has mostly cultivated a macho image. That included riding a horse in Siberia, piloting firefighting planes and diving in a submersible into the depths of Lake Baikal and the&nbsp;Black Sea off the Crimea coast.&nbsp;

(Reuters)

Putin was in Beijing for China's 'One Belt, One Road' summit

Russian President Vladimir Putin played piano while awaiting Chinese leader Xi Jinping for bilateral talks in Beijing on Sunday. Putin spoke earlier on Sunday at a summit on China's new Silk Road plan. He later arrived at state Diaoyutai residence for talks with Xi and other leaders. While waiting for his bilateral with Xi to begin, Putin played several chords. According to TASS news agency and state Russian television, Putin played passages from Soviet-era songs about Moscow and St Petersburg. The 64-year-old former KGB spy has demonstrated his skills on the piano in the past although he has mostly cultivated a macho image. That included riding a horse in Siberia, piloting firefighting planes and diving in a submersible into the depths of Lake Baikal and the Black Sea off the Crimea coast. (Reuters)

As he awaits talks with China's Xi, Putin plays piano

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Vladimir Putin insisted Tuesday that there was no alternative to a stalled Ukraine peace plan as they struggled to mask deep rifts during a first meeting in Russia since 2015.

Merkel pushed Putin at a frosty encounter to ensure a ceasefire in war-torn east Ukraine, but the Russian leader laid the blame on Kiev for a European-brokered peace deal hitting a dead end.&nbsp;

The rare visit also saw the German chancellor confront Putin over rights issues in Russia, including the alleged persecution of gay men in the North Caucasus region of Chechnya.&nbsp;

&quot;I think we have differences but international politics means to always keep looking for dialogue,&quot; Merkel said at a press conference in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi.&nbsp;

The meeting was meant to focus on preparations for the G20 summit in Hamburg in July, and no major breakthroughs were expected on mending the deep divisions caused by the conflict in Ukraine.&nbsp;

The German leader has strongly backed EU sanctions on Russia for seizing Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and for supporting a pro-Kremlin separatist insurgency in the east of the country.

Merkel said she hoped some of the sanctions could be lifted if a flatlining peace plan brokered by her and French President Francois Hollande in 2015 was fulfilled.

And both leaders admitted there was no choice but to stick to the process despite its running into a brick wall amid recriminations from all sides.&nbsp;

&quot;We cannot think about any alternative and we should not have to think of it,&quot; Putin said at a press conference.&nbsp;

&quot;It is impossible to create new plans without achieving elementary results for what we outlined in previous years.&quot;

Gay rights

Merkel last visited Russia in May 2015 when she met Putin in Moscow, and the two leaders have scaled back contacts as the Ukraine crisis has driven ties to a post-Cold War low.&nbsp;

Putin talked up economic ties between the two countries, insisting that &quot;our cooperation makes a significant contribution to stabilising the world economy.&quot;

But it was clear that despite pledges to talk there remain deep gulfs between the German leader -- seen as a major bulwark of the Western liberal order -- and the Kremlin strongman, who many accuse of trying to undermine it.&nbsp;

At the press conference Merkel said she raised recent high-profile accusations of rights abuses in Russia, including allegations the authorities in Chechnya were rounding up gay men.&nbsp;

&quot;We received very negative reports about how homosexuals are treated in Chechnya,&quot; Merkel said. &quot;I asked President Putin to use his influence to guarantee the rights of minorities.&quot;

Ramzan Kadyrov, the Putin-loyalist and strongman leader of Chechnya, has fiercely denied claims of a crackdown in the socially conservative region, and after a delay Russian investigators said they are probing the allegations.&nbsp;

Putin was also forced to deny that Russia was planning to meddle in German elections that Merkel is competing in later in the year after claims that Moscow interfered with the US presidential vote.&nbsp;

&quot;We never interfered in the political life or the political processes of any other country,&quot; Putin said.&nbsp;

Trump talk, Erdogan meeting

The meeting with Merkel comes ahead of a busy diplomatic push for Putin.

After meeting Merkel, he was expected later Tuesday to hold his third phone call with US President Donald Trump.

The two leaders are looking to make headway on ties in the face of deep rifts over the conflict in Syria and after claims of Russian hacking during the US elections.&nbsp;

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is also due to meet Putin in Sochi on Wednesday.

Putin and Erdogan have inched closer together on Syria as Erdogan&#39;s ties with Europe have deteriorated in recent months.

(AFP)

The rare visit saw the German chancellor confront Putin over the alleged persecution of gay men in Chechnya

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Vladimir Putin insisted Tuesday that there was no alternative to a stalled Ukraine peace plan as they struggled to mask deep rifts during a first meeting in Russia since 2015. Merkel pushed Putin at a frosty encounter to ensure a ceasefire in war-torn east Ukraine, but the Russian leader laid the blame on Kiev for a European-brokered peace deal hitting a dead end. The rare visit also saw the German chancellor confront Putin over rights issues in Russia, including the alleged persecution of gay men in the North Caucasus region of Chechnya. "I think we have differences but international politics means to always keep looking for dialogue," Merkel said at a press conference in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi. The meeting was meant to focus on preparations for the G20 summit in Hamburg in July, and no major breakthroughs were expected on mending the deep divisions caused by the conflict in Ukraine. The German leader has strongly backed EU sanctions on Russia for seizing Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and for supporting a pro-Kremlin separatist insurgency in the east of the country. Merkel said she hoped some of the sanctions could be lifted if a flatlining peace plan brokered by her and French President Francois Hollande in 2015 was fulfilled. And both leaders admitted there was no choice but to stick to the process despite its running into a brick wall amid recriminations from all sides. "We cannot think about any alternative and we should not have to think of it," Putin said at a press conference. "It is impossible to create new plans without achieving elementary results for what we outlined in previous years." Gay rights Merkel last visited Russia in May 2015 when she met Putin in Moscow, and the two leaders have scaled back contacts as the Ukraine crisis has driven ties to a post-Cold War low. Putin talked up economic ties between the two countries, insisting that "our cooperation makes a significant contribution to stabilising the world economy." But it was clear that despite pledges to talk there remain deep gulfs between the German leader -- seen as a major bulwark of the Western liberal order -- and the Kremlin strongman, who many accuse of trying to undermine it. At the press conference Merkel said she raised recent high-profile accusations of rights abuses in Russia, including allegations the authorities in Chechnya were rounding up gay men. "We received very negative reports about how homosexuals are treated in Chechnya," Merkel said. "I asked President Putin to use his influence to guarantee the rights of minorities." Ramzan Kadyrov, the Putin-loyalist and strongman leader of Chechnya, has fiercely denied claims of a crackdown in the socially conservative region, and after a delay Russian investigators said they are probing the allegations. Putin was also forced to deny that Russia was planning to meddle in German elections that Merkel is competing in later in the year after claims that Moscow interfered with the US presidential vote. "We never interfered in the political life or the political processes of any other country," Putin said. Trump talk, Erdogan meeting The meeting with Merkel comes ahead of a busy diplomatic push for Putin. After meeting Merkel, he was expected later Tuesday to hold his third phone call with US President Donald Trump. The two leaders are looking to make headway on ties in the face of deep rifts over the conflict in Syria and after claims of Russian hacking during the US elections. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is also due to meet Putin in Sochi on Wednesday. Putin and Erdogan have inched closer together on Syria as Erdogan's ties with Europe have deteriorated in recent months. (AFP)

Merkel pushes Putin on Ukraine, gay rights

A Russian government think tank controlled by Vladimir Putin developed a plan to swing the 2016 US&nbsp;presidential election to Donald Trump and undermine voters&rsquo; faith in the American electoral system, three current and four former US&nbsp;officials told Reuters.

They described two confidential documents from the think tank as providing the framework and rationale for what US&nbsp;intelligence agencies have concluded was an intensive effort by Russia to interfere with the November&nbsp;8 election. US&nbsp;intelligence officials acquired the documents, which were prepared by the Moscow-based Russian Institute for Strategic Studies, after the election.

The institute is run by retired senior Russian foreign intelligence officials appointed by Putin&rsquo;s office.

The first Russian institute document was a strategy paper written last June that circulated at the highest levels of the Russian government but was not addressed to any specific individuals.

It recommended the Kremlin launch a propaganda campaign on social media and Russian state-backed global news outlets to encourage US&nbsp;voters to elect a president who would take a softer line towards Russia than the administration of then-President Barack Obama, the seven officials said.

A second institute document, drafted in October and distributed in the same way, warned that Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton was likely to win the election. For that reason, it argued, it was better for Russia to end its pro-Trump propaganda and instead intensify its messaging about voter fraud to undermine the US&nbsp;electoral system&rsquo;s legitimacy and damage Clinton&rsquo;s reputation in an effort to undermine her presidency, the seven officials said.

The current and former US&nbsp;officials spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the Russian documents&rsquo; classified status. They declined to discuss how the United States obtained them. US&nbsp;intelligence agencies also declined to comment on them.

Putin has denied interfering in the US&nbsp;election. Putin&rsquo;s spokesman and the Russian institute did not respond to requests for comment.

The documents were central to the Obama administration&#39;s conclusion that Russia mounted a &ldquo;fake news&rdquo; campaign and launched cyber attacks against Democratic Party groups and Clinton&#39;s campaign, the current and former officials said.

&ldquo;Putin had the objective in mind all along, and he asked the institute to draw him a road map,&rdquo; said one of the sources, a former senior US&nbsp;intelligence official.

Trump has said Russia&rsquo;s activities had no impact on the outcome of the race. Ongoing congressional and FBI investigations into Russian interference have so far produced no public evidence that Trump associates colluded with the Russian effort to change the outcome of the election.

Four of the officials said the approach outlined in the June strategy paper was a broadening of an effort the Putin administration launched in March 2016. That month the Kremlin instructed state-backed media outlets, including international platforms Russia Today and Sputnik news agency, to start producing positive reports on Trump&rsquo;s quest for the US&nbsp;presidency, the officials said.

Russia Today did not respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson for Sputnik dismissed the assertions by the US&nbsp;officials that it participated in a Kremlin campaign as an &ldquo;absolute pack of lies.&rdquo; &ldquo;And by the way, it&#39;s not the first pack of lies we&#39;re hearing from &#39;sources in U.S.&nbsp;official circles&#39;,&quot; the spokesperson said in an email.

&nbsp;

PRO-KREMLIN BLOGGERS

Russia Today and Sputnik published anti-Clinton stories while pro-Kremlin bloggers prepared a Twitter campaign calling into question the fairness of an anticipated Clinton victory, according to a <a href="https://www.intelligence.senate.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ICA_2017_01.pdf" target="_blank">report </a>by US&nbsp;intelligence agencies on Russian interference in the election made public in January.

Russia Today&rsquo;s most popular Clinton video - &ldquo;How 100% of the 2015 Clintons&rsquo; &lsquo;charity&rsquo; went to ... themselves&rdquo; - accumulated 9 millions views on social media, according to the January <a href="https://www.facebook.com/RTAmerica/videos/10153703671361366/" target="_blank">report</a>.&nbsp;

The report said Russia Today and Sputnik &ldquo;consistently cast president elect-Trump as the target of unfair coverage from traditional media outlets.&quot;

The <a href="https://www.intelligence.senate.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ICA_2017_01.pdf" target="_blank">report </a>said the agencies did not assess whether Moscow&rsquo;s effort had swung the outcome of the race in Trump&rsquo;s favour, because American intelligence agencies do not &ldquo;analyse US&nbsp;political processes or US&nbsp;public opinion&rdquo;.

&nbsp;

CYBER ATTACKS

Neither of the Russian institute documents mentioned the release of hacked Democratic Party emails to interfere with the US election,&nbsp;according to four of the officials. The officials said the hacking was a covert intelligence operation run separately out of the Kremlin.

The overt propaganda and covert hacking efforts reinforced each other, according to the officials. Both Russia Today and Sputnik heavily promoted the release of the hacked Democratic Party emails, which often contained embarrassing details.

Five of the US&nbsp;officials described the institute as the Kremlin&rsquo;s in-house foreign policy think tank.

The institute&rsquo;s director when the documents were written, Leonid Reshetnikov, rose to the rank of lieutenant general during a 33-year-career in Russia&rsquo;s foreign intelligence service, according to the institute&rsquo;s <a href="https://riss.ru/profile/prime/" target="_blank">website</a>. After Reshetnikov retired from the institute in January, Putin named as his replacement Mikhail Fradkov. The institute <a href="https://en.riss.ru/profile/mikhail-fradkov/" target="_blank">says </a>he served as the director of Russia&rsquo;s foreign intelligence service from 2007 to 2016.

Reuters was unable to determine if either man was directly involved in the drafting of the documents. Reshetnikov&rsquo;s office referred questions to the Russian institute.

On its <a href="https://en.riss.ru/about/]" target="_blank">website</a>, the Russian institute describes itself as providing &ldquo;expert appraisals,&rdquo; &ldquo;recommendations,&rdquo; and &ldquo;analytical materials&rdquo; to the Russian president&rsquo;s office, cabinet, National Security Council, ministries and parliament.

On Jan. 31, the <a href="http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/53793" target="_blank">websites </a>of Putin&rsquo;s office&nbsp;and the <a href="https://en.riss.ru/news/20063/" target="_blank">institute</a>&nbsp;posted a picture and transcript of Reshetnikov and his successor Fradkov meeting with Putin in the Kremlin. Putin thanked Reshetnikov for his service and told Fradkov he wanted the institute to provide objective information and analysis.

&ldquo;We did our best for nearly eight years to implement your foreign policy concept,&rdquo; Reshetnikov told Putin. &ldquo;The policy of Russia and the policy of the President of Russia have been the cornerstone of our operation.&rdquo;

(Reuters)

It recommended that the Kremlin launch a propaganda campaign on social media and Russian state-backed global news outlets

A Russian government think tank controlled by Vladimir Putin developed a plan to swing the 2016 US presidential election to Donald Trump and undermine voters’ faith in the American electoral system, three current and four former US officials told Reuters. They described two confidential documents from the think tank as providing the framework and rationale for what US intelligence agencies have concluded was an intensive effort by Russia to interfere with the November 8 election. US intelligence officials acquired the documents, which were prepared by the Moscow-based Russian Institute for Strategic Studies, after the election. The institute is run by retired senior Russian foreign intelligence officials appointed by Putin’s office. The first Russian institute document was a strategy paper written last June that circulated at the highest levels of the Russian government but was not addressed to any specific individuals. It recommended the Kremlin launch a propaganda campaign on social media and Russian state-backed global news outlets to encourage US voters to elect a president who would take a softer line towards Russia than the administration of then-President Barack Obama, the seven officials said. A second institute document, drafted in October and distributed in the same way, warned that Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton was likely to win the election. For that reason, it argued, it was better for Russia to end its pro-Trump propaganda and instead intensify its messaging about voter fraud to undermine the US electoral system’s legitimacy and damage Clinton’s reputation in an effort to undermine her presidency, the seven officials said. The current and former US officials spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the Russian documents’ classified status. They declined to discuss how the United States obtained them. US intelligence agencies also declined to comment on them. Putin has denied interfering in the US election. Putin’s spokesman and the Russian institute did not respond to requests for comment. The documents were central to the Obama administration's conclusion that Russia mounted a “fake news” campaign and launched cyber attacks against Democratic Party groups and Clinton's campaign, the current and former officials said. “Putin had the objective in mind all along, and he asked the institute to draw him a road map,” said one of the sources, a former senior US intelligence official. Trump has said Russia’s activities had no impact on the outcome of the race. Ongoing congressional and FBI investigations into Russian interference have so far produced no public evidence that Trump associates colluded with the Russian effort to change the outcome of the election. Four of the officials said the approach outlined in the June strategy paper was a broadening of an effort the Putin administration launched in March 2016. That month the Kremlin instructed state-backed media outlets, including international platforms Russia Today and Sputnik news agency, to start producing positive reports on Trump’s quest for the US presidency, the officials said. Russia Today did not respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson for Sputnik dismissed the assertions by the US officials that it participated in a Kremlin campaign as an “absolute pack of lies.” “And by the way, it's not the first pack of lies we're hearing from 'sources in U.S. official circles'," the spokesperson said in an email. PRO-KREMLIN BLOGGERS Russia Today and Sputnik published anti-Clinton stories while pro-Kremlin bloggers prepared a Twitter campaign calling into question the fairness of an anticipated Clinton victory, according to a report by US intelligence agencies on Russian interference in the election made public in January. Russia Today’s most popular Clinton video - “How 100% of the 2015 Clintons’ ‘charity’ went to ... themselves” - accumulated 9 millions views on social media, according to the January report. The report said Russia Today and Sputnik “consistently cast president elect-Trump as the target of unfair coverage from traditional media outlets." The report said the agencies did not assess whether Moscow’s effort had swung the outcome of the race in Trump’s favour, because American intelligence agencies do not “analyse US political processes or US public opinion”. CYBER ATTACKS Neither of the Russian institute documents mentioned the release of hacked Democratic Party emails to interfere with the US election, according to four of the officials. The officials said the hacking was a covert intelligence operation run separately out of the Kremlin. The overt propaganda and covert hacking efforts reinforced each other, according to the officials. Both Russia Today and Sputnik heavily promoted the release of the hacked Democratic Party emails, which often contained embarrassing details. Five of the US officials described the institute as the Kremlin’s in-house foreign policy think tank. The institute’s director when the documents were written, Leonid Reshetnikov, rose to the rank of lieutenant general during a 33-year-career in Russia’s foreign intelligence service, according to the institute’s website. After Reshetnikov retired from the institute in January, Putin named as his replacement Mikhail Fradkov. The institute says he served as the director of Russia’s foreign intelligence service from 2007 to 2016. Reuters was unable to determine if either man was directly involved in the drafting of the documents. Reshetnikov’s office referred questions to the Russian institute. On its website, the Russian institute describes itself as providing “expert appraisals,” “recommendations,” and “analytical materials” to the Russian president’s office, cabinet, National Security Council, ministries and parliament. On Jan. 31, the websites of Putin’s office and the institute posted a picture and transcript of Reshetnikov and his successor Fradkov meeting with Putin in the Kremlin. Putin thanked Reshetnikov for his service and told Fradkov he wanted the institute to provide objective information and analysis. “We did our best for nearly eight years to implement your foreign policy concept,” Reshetnikov told Putin. “The policy of Russia and the policy of the President of Russia have been the cornerstone of our operation.” (Reuters)

Putin-linked think tank planned to sway 2016 US election: Documents

After less than three months in office, President Donald Trump has abruptly indicated a shift in&nbsp;his stance on an array of foreign policy issues from the US&nbsp;relationship with Russia and China to the value of the NATO alliance.

Trump, who ran for the White House on a pledge to shake up the status quo in Washington, repeatedly lashed out at China during the campaign, accusing Beijing of being a &quot;grand champion&quot; of currency manipulation. Candidate Trump also dismissed the NATO military alliance as obsolete and said he hoped to build warmer ties with Russia.

But at a White House news conference and in a newspaper interview on Wednesday, he offered starkly different views on those issues, saying his relationship with Moscow was souring while ties with Beijing were improving. He also lavished praise on NATO, saying it was adapting to changing global threats.

&quot;I said it was obsolete. It&#39;s no longer obsolete,&quot; Trump said as he stood at a news conference alongside NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg in the White House East Room on Wednesday.&nbsp;

The apparent reversals on Russia and NATO could reassure US&nbsp;allies in Europe who were rattled by Trump&#39;s overtures toward Moscow during the campaign. But the president&#39;s talk of &quot;bonding&quot; with Chinese President Xi Jinping could sow confusion in Asia, where US&nbsp;allies are fearful of a rising China.

&nbsp;

Trump&nbsp;claims US-Russia relations are at&nbsp;&quot;all time low&quot;&nbsp;

Trump&#39;s U-turn&nbsp;in&nbsp;foreign policy came amid infighting within his administration that has lately seen a decline in the influence of political operatives, mainly his chief strategist, Steve Bannon, whose former publication <a href="http://dailycaller.com/2017/03/21/fbi-probing-breitbart-infowars-in-russian-influence-investigation/">Breitbart News</a> is&nbsp;under FBI investigation for links to Russia.

Six months ago, candidate Trump suggested he was eager for an alliance with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

&quot;If he says great things about me, I&#39;m going to say great things about him,&quot; Trump said last September.

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U.S. President Donald Trump voiced caution on his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying he would wait and see about future ties with Moscow (Reuters)
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On Wednesday, however, Trump said he had growing concerns about Russia&#39;s support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

&quot;We may be at an all-time low in terms of a relationship with Russia,&quot; said Trump, who ordered the firing of US&nbsp;cruise missiles at a Syrian airfield last week after Putin-backed Assad was&nbsp;suspected of using&nbsp;poison gas against civilians in Syria&#39;s civil war.

While many are focused on Trump&#39;s claim that US-Russia relations are at a low, he also said in the very same press conference, &quot;It would be wonderful...if Nato and our country could get along with Russia.&quot;

The Trump administration itself is currently under FBI investigation for its links to Russia, and for its possible role in working with Moscow&#39;s effort to interfere in the 2016 US election to benefit Trump.

&nbsp;

China reversal

While criticising Russia on Wednesday, Trump said he and Xi had bonded during the Chinese president&#39;s visit to the Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, where they dined together with their wives and held talks.

Ahead of that visit, Trump had predicted &quot;difficult&quot; discussions on trade.

The improving ties with Beijing were underscored when Trump told the Wall Street Journal in an interview on Wednesday that he would not declare China a currency manipulator as he had pledged to do on his first day in office.

Trump, a former real estate developer, took office in January as a government novice whose foreign policy mantra was a vow to keep America safe and build up the US&nbsp;military.

&nbsp;

Another reversal: Distancing himself from his own administration, again

In an interview with the New York Post on Tuesday, Trump offered only lukewarm support for Bannon.

&ldquo;I like Steve, but you have to remember he was not involved in my campaign until very late. I had already beaten all the senators and governors, and I didn&#39;t know Steve. I&#39;m my own strategist, and it&#39;s not like I was going to change strategies because I was facing&nbsp;crooked Hillary,&rdquo; Trump said.

The claim that he didn&#39;t know Steve Bannon until the 2016 is false, the same <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/12/us/politics/trump-steven-bannon-fox-business-news-interview.html" target="_blank">New York Times</a> reports.

&nbsp;

Critics have pointed out that the Trump administration&nbsp;made similar distancing statements with&nbsp;former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, and former National Security adviser Michael Flynn.&nbsp;

White House S<a href="http://fortune.com/2017/03/22/paul-manafort-donald-trump-vladimir-putin/" target="_blank">pokesman </a>Sean Spicer said that Flynn was only a &quot;campaign volunteer&quot;.&nbsp;Michael Flynn&nbsp;was forced to resign on February&nbsp;13 for contacts with Russia&#39;s ambassador to the United States before Trump took office, contacts which he misled the Vice President about.

In another&nbsp;example, a few weeks ago Spicer said&nbsp;that in the 2016 election campaign Manafort only played &quot;a very limited role for a very limited time&quot;. Manafort worked on the campaign for five months, during a crucial time, and was the campaign manager for three of those months, <a href="http://fortune.com/2017/03/22/paul-manafort-donald-trump-vladimir-putin/" target="_blank">Fortune </a>reports.&nbsp;

He only resigned after a barrage of negative press after it came to light that he received millions of dollars in undisclosed payments from the party of the Russia-backed Ukrainian leader, Viktor Yanukovich.

Hours ago Manafort&#39;s&nbsp;spokesman said he is planning to register with the Justice Department as a foreign agent,<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/apr/12/paul-manafort-foreign-agent-trump-russia" target="_blank"> The Guardian</a> reports. He denies any impropriety.

(WION with inputs from Reuters)

These drastic reversals come as the Trump administration faces more pressure under the ongoing investigation for their links to Russia

After less than three months in office, President Donald Trump has abruptly indicated a shift in his stance on an array of foreign policy issues from the US relationship with Russia and China to the value of the NATO alliance. Trump, who ran for the White House on a pledge to shake up the status quo in Washington, repeatedly lashed out at China during the campaign, accusing Beijing of being a "grand champion" of currency manipulation. Candidate Trump also dismissed the NATO military alliance as obsolete and said he hoped to build warmer ties with Russia. But at a White House news conference and in a newspaper interview on Wednesday, he offered starkly different views on those issues, saying his relationship with Moscow was souring while ties with Beijing were improving. He also lavished praise on NATO, saying it was adapting to changing global threats. "I said it was obsolete. It's no longer obsolete," Trump said as he stood at a news conference alongside NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg in the White House East Room on Wednesday. The apparent reversals on Russia and NATO could reassure US allies in Europe who were rattled by Trump's overtures toward Moscow during the campaign. But the president's talk of "bonding" with Chinese President Xi Jinping could sow confusion in Asia, where US allies are fearful of a rising China. Trump claims US-Russia relations are at "all time low" Trump's U-turn in foreign policy came amid infighting within his administration that has lately seen a decline in the influence of political operatives, mainly his chief strategist, Steve Bannon, whose former publication Breitbart News is under FBI investigation for links to Russia. Six months ago, candidate Trump suggested he was eager for an alliance with Russian President Vladimir Putin. "If he says great things about me, I'm going to say great things about him," Trump said last September. U.S. President Donald Trump voiced caution on his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying he would wait and see about future ties with Moscow (Reuters) × On Wednesday, however, Trump said he had growing concerns about Russia's support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. "We may be at an all-time low in terms of a relationship with Russia," said Trump, who ordered the firing of US cruise missiles at a Syrian airfield last week after Putin-backed Assad was suspected of using poison gas against civilians in Syria's civil war. While many are focused on Trump's claim that US-Russia relations are at a low, he also said in the very same press conference, "It would be wonderful...if Nato and our country could get along with Russia." The Trump administration itself is currently under FBI investigation for its links to Russia, and for its possible role in working with Moscow's effort to interfere in the 2016 US election to benefit Trump. China reversal While criticising Russia on Wednesday, Trump said he and Xi had bonded during the Chinese president's visit to the Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, where they dined together with their wives and held talks. Ahead of that visit, Trump had predicted "difficult" discussions on trade. The improving ties with Beijing were underscored when Trump told the Wall Street Journal in an interview on Wednesday that he would not declare China a currency manipulator as he had pledged to do on his first day in office. Trump, a former real estate developer, took office in January as a government novice whose foreign policy mantra was a vow to keep America safe and build up the US military. Another reversal: Distancing himself from his own administration, again In an interview with the New York Post on Tuesday, Trump offered only lukewarm support for Bannon. “I like Steve, but you have to remember he was not involved in my campaign until very late. I had already beaten all the senators and governors, and I didn't know Steve. I'm my own strategist, and it's not like I was going to change strategies because I was facing crooked Hillary,” Trump said. The claim that he didn't know Steve Bannon until the 2016 is false, the same New York Times reports. Critics have pointed out that the Trump administration made similar distancing statements with former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, and former National Security adviser Michael Flynn. White House Spokesman Sean Spicer said that Flynn was only a "campaign volunteer". Michael Flynn was forced to resign on February 13 for contacts with Russia's ambassador to the United States before Trump took office, contacts which he misled the Vice President about. In another example, a few weeks ago Spicer said that in the 2016 election campaign Manafort only played "a very limited role for a very limited time". Manafort worked on the campaign for five months, during a crucial time, and was the campaign manager for three of those months, Fortune reports. He only resigned after a barrage of negative press after it came to light that he received millions of dollars in undisclosed payments from the party of the Russia-backed Ukrainian leader, Viktor Yanukovich. Hours ago Manafort's spokesman said he is planning to register with the Justice Department as a foreign agent, The Guardian reports. He denies any impropriety. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

In abrupt shift, Trump appears to sour on Russia but warm to China and NATO

Levels of trust between Moscow and Washington have deteriorated since US&nbsp;President Donald Trump took office, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview broadcast on Wednesday, Reuters reports.

Asked about relations since Trump became president, Putin said, according to a transcript of the interview released by the Kremlin: &quot;One could say that the level of trust on a working level, especially on the military level, has not improved, but rather has deteriorated.&quot;

Asked about accusations that Syria&#39;s government launched a chemical weapons attack in Idlib province, Putin said that Damascus had given up its chemical weapons stocks, Reuters reports.

He said he believed there were two main explanations for the incident in Idlib province: that Syrian government air strikes had hit rebel chemical weapons stocks, releasing poisonous gas, or that the incident was a set-up designed to discredit the Syrian government.

&nbsp;

Downplaying Russia-US connection?

Putin&#39;s claim that Moscow&#39;s relations have worsened since Trump has taken office comes as the FBI is investigating Russian interference in the US election designed to benefit Trump, and whether or not anyone in the Trump campaign actively worked with Russian agents.

It also comes a day after Eric Trump, the US President&#39;s son, also distanced Washington from Moscow.

In an interview with The Daily Telegraph published yesterday, referring to America&#39;s strike last week against a Syrian airbase on April 4,&nbsp;US President Donald Trump&#39;s son Eric Trump asserted:&nbsp;&quot;If there was anything that Syria did, it was to validate the fact that there is no Russia tie.&quot;

Yesterday, <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/fbi-obtained-court-order-to-monitor-ex-trump-adviser-in-russia-probe-washington-post-14431" target="_blank">The Washington Post</a>&nbsp;reported that last summer&nbsp;the FBI convinced a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court judge that there was probably cause to believe that former Trump&nbsp;adviser Carter Page, who worked with the campaign during the 2016 federal election, was a Russian agent.

Just over two weeks ago it was reported that Trump&#39;s son-in-law Jared Kushner, himself a top White House adviser, met with Russian bank officials officially under Western&nbsp;sanctions.&nbsp;

Days ago it was reported that he failed to disclose dozens of such meetings&nbsp;on US security clearance forms. Failure to make such a&nbsp;disclosure&nbsp;could be a felony.

<a href="http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/327753-kushner-didnt-disclose-meetings-with-russians-on-security-clearance" target="_blank">The Hill</a> reports that Kushners laws claim the omissions were an error, and that top White House aide&#39;s notified the FBI the following day with additional information. More, his aides claim&nbsp;he is only using a temporary security clearance now.

Trump&#39;s pick for National Security Adviser Michael Flynn had to resign after it came to light that he misled the administration about his concversation with the Russian ambassador to the United States, Sergey Kislyak.

Trump&#39;s pick for Attorney General Jeff Sessions&nbsp;recused himself from the investigation into Trump-Russia after it emerged that he also lied under oath about meeting Ambassador Kislyak.

(WION)

The claim comes just after Trump's son also distanced Washington from Moscow, amid an FBI investigation into the connection between the two

Levels of trust between Moscow and Washington have deteriorated since US President Donald Trump took office, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview broadcast on Wednesday, Reuters reports. Asked about relations since Trump became president, Putin said, according to a transcript of the interview released by the Kremlin: "One could say that the level of trust on a working level, especially on the military level, has not improved, but rather has deteriorated." Asked about accusations that Syria's government launched a chemical weapons attack in Idlib province, Putin said that Damascus had given up its chemical weapons stocks, Reuters reports. He said he believed there were two main explanations for the incident in Idlib province: that Syrian government air strikes had hit rebel chemical weapons stocks, releasing poisonous gas, or that the incident was a set-up designed to discredit the Syrian government. Downplaying Russia-US connection? Putin's claim that Moscow's relations have worsened since Trump has taken office comes as the FBI is investigating Russian interference in the US election designed to benefit Trump, and whether or not anyone in the Trump campaign actively worked with Russian agents. It also comes a day after Eric Trump, the US President's son, also distanced Washington from Moscow. In an interview with The Daily Telegraph published yesterday, referring to America's strike last week against a Syrian airbase on April 4, US President Donald Trump's son Eric Trump asserted: "If there was anything that Syria did, it was to validate the fact that there is no Russia tie." Yesterday, The Washington Post reported that last summer the FBI convinced a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court judge that there was probably cause to believe that former Trump adviser Carter Page, who worked with the campaign during the 2016 federal election, was a Russian agent. Just over two weeks ago it was reported that Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, himself a top White House adviser, met with Russian bank officials officially under Western sanctions. Days ago it was reported that he failed to disclose dozens of such meetings on US security clearance forms. Failure to make such a disclosure could be a felony. The Hill reports that Kushners laws claim the omissions were an error, and that top White House aide's notified the FBI the following day with additional information. More, his aides claim he is only using a temporary security clearance now. Trump's pick for National Security Adviser Michael Flynn had to resign after it came to light that he misled the administration about his concversation with the Russian ambassador to the United States, Sergey Kislyak. Trump's pick for Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from the investigation into Trump-Russia after it emerged that he also lied under oath about meeting Ambassador Kislyak. (WION)

Putin says US-Russia ties worse since Trump took office

The US&nbsp;position on Syria remains a mystery to Moscow and Washington&#39;s rhetoric tends to be primitive and loutish, Russian news agencies quoted Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov as saying on Wednesday.

Ryabkov&#39;s remarks were released minutes before US&nbsp;Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, the highest level representative of the Trump administration to visit Russia, was due to start talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, Reuters reports.

Ryabkov said that at the talks Russia expected to discuss no-fly zones in Syria, and that North Korea and Ukraine would also be on the agenda.

US&nbsp;Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told Lavrov&nbsp;on Wednesday that he wanted to use talks in Moscow to understand why Russia and Washington had sharp differences and find a way to bridge those differences.

&nbsp;

Ultimatums

Moscow said Wednesday, prior to the meeting, that it was useless to give Russia an ultimatum, in response to the United States&#39; top diplomat urging it to stop supporting the Syrian government regime. 
 
&quot;It seems to me that everyone has already understood that it is useless to travel to us with ultimatums, it is simply counterproductive,&quot; said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova. 
 
It was uncertain whether Tillerson would be meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin as it was not part of the agenda but the Kremlin had not ruled out the possibility. 
 
Tillerson&#39;s Moscow visit made him the first senior American official to visit Russia since US President Donald Trump came to power. 
 
In a statement published on the Department of State&#39;s website, Tillerson suggested Russia choose between supporting the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and an alliance with the West. 
 
&quot;Is that a long-term alliance that serves Russia&#39;s interest, or would Russia prefer to realign with the United States, with other Western countries and Middle East countries who are seeking to resolve the Syrian crisis?&quot; Tillerson said ahead of his trip to Moscow. 
 
Since a suspected chemical attack on April&nbsp;4 in the northern Syrian province of Idlib, the US has accused Russia of being morally responsible for the deaths of almost 100 Syrian civilians. 
 
The US last week launched air strikes on a regime airbase in response to the alleged chemical attack.

(Agencies)

Moscow said it was useless to give Russia an ultimatum between supporting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad or allying with the West

The US position on Syria remains a mystery to Moscow and Washington's rhetoric tends to be primitive and loutish, Russian news agencies quoted Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov as saying on Wednesday. Ryabkov's remarks were released minutes before US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, the highest level representative of the Trump administration to visit Russia, was due to start talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, Reuters reports. Ryabkov said that at the talks Russia expected to discuss no-fly zones in Syria, and that North Korea and Ukraine would also be on the agenda. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told Lavrov on Wednesday that he wanted to use talks in Moscow to understand why Russia and Washington had sharp differences and find a way to bridge those differences. Ultimatums Moscow said Wednesday, prior to the meeting, that it was useless to give Russia an ultimatum, in response to the United States' top diplomat urging it to stop supporting the Syrian government regime. "It seems to me that everyone has already understood that it is useless to travel to us with ultimatums, it is simply counterproductive," said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova. It was uncertain whether Tillerson would be meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin as it was not part of the agenda but the Kremlin had not ruled out the possibility. Tillerson's Moscow visit made him the first senior American official to visit Russia since US President Donald Trump came to power. In a statement published on the Department of State's website, Tillerson suggested Russia choose between supporting the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and an alliance with the West. "Is that a long-term alliance that serves Russia's interest, or would Russia prefer to realign with the United States, with other Western countries and Middle East countries who are seeking to resolve the Syrian crisis?" Tillerson said ahead of his trip to Moscow. Since a suspected chemical attack on April 4 in the northern Syrian province of Idlib, the US has accused Russia of being morally responsible for the deaths of almost 100 Syrian civilians. The US last week launched air strikes on a regime airbase in response to the alleged chemical attack. (Agencies)

Moscow says US position on Syria remains a 'mystery', rhetoric tends to be 'primitive', 'loutish'

Moscow slammed the US strike on a Syrian airbase Friday as &quot;aggression against a sovereign state&quot;, and suspended a bilateral agreement to help avoid clashes in the skies over the war-torn country.

&quot;President Putin considers American strikes on Syria aggression against a sovereign state in violation of international norms, and under an invented pretext,&quot; said the statement by the Kremlin press service posted on the official website.

US President Donald Trump ordered a military strike on a Syrian air base at 0040GMT, in retaliation for what he said was a &quot;very barbaric attack&quot; Tuesday that is suspected to have contained a nerve agent.

Moscow has been flying a bombing campaign in support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad&#39;s forces since September 2015 and on Wednesday said it would continue to back the regime.

The Russian foreign ministry announced the suspension of a memorandum signed with the US in October 2015 which set up a hotline to avoid clashes between their air forces in Syrian airspace as they carried out separate bombing campaigns.

&quot;We call upon the UN Security Council to hold an extraordinary meeting to discuss the situation,&quot; the ministry said in a statement, calling the strike &quot;thoughtless.&quot;

Russia had sought to deflect blame from Assad over the incident, claiming Syrian jets struck a rebel arms depot housing &quot;toxic substances&quot; and denying that the regime has access to any chemical weapons.

&quot;The Syrian army does not have any chemical weapon stockpiles,&quot; the Kremlin statement said, accusing Washington of trying to &quot;divert attention of the international community from the many civilian casualties in Iraq.&quot;

&quot;The fact of destruction of all chemical weapon stockpiles of the Syrian armed forces was recorded and confirmed by the (Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons).&quot;

&quot;This step by Washington inflicts considerable damage to US-Russia relations, which are already in a lamentable state,&quot; the Kremlin said.&nbsp;

A White House official said 59 precision-guided Tomahawk missiles hit the Shayrat airfield, from where the US believes the attack was launched.&nbsp;

The Syrian army said that six people were killed and serious damage caused by the strike.

WATCH:

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&nbsp;

(AFP)

'President Putin considers American strikes on Syria aggression against a sovereign state,' a Kremlin press statement said

Moscow slammed the US strike on a Syrian airbase Friday as "aggression against a sovereign state", and suspended a bilateral agreement to help avoid clashes in the skies over the war-torn country. "President Putin considers American strikes on Syria aggression against a sovereign state in violation of international norms, and under an invented pretext," said the statement by the Kremlin press service posted on the official website. US President Donald Trump ordered a military strike on a Syrian air base at 0040GMT, in retaliation for what he said was a "very barbaric attack" Tuesday that is suspected to have contained a nerve agent. Moscow has been flying a bombing campaign in support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces since September 2015 and on Wednesday said it would continue to back the regime. The Russian foreign ministry announced the suspension of a memorandum signed with the US in October 2015 which set up a hotline to avoid clashes between their air forces in Syrian airspace as they carried out separate bombing campaigns. "We call upon the UN Security Council to hold an extraordinary meeting to discuss the situation," the ministry said in a statement, calling the strike "thoughtless." Russia had sought to deflect blame from Assad over the incident, claiming Syrian jets struck a rebel arms depot housing "toxic substances" and denying that the regime has access to any chemical weapons. "The Syrian army does not have any chemical weapon stockpiles," the Kremlin statement said, accusing Washington of trying to "divert attention of the international community from the many civilian casualties in Iraq." "The fact of destruction of all chemical weapon stockpiles of the Syrian armed forces was recorded and confirmed by the (Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons)." "This step by Washington inflicts considerable damage to US-Russia relations, which are already in a lamentable state," the Kremlin said. A White House official said 59 precision-guided Tomahawk missiles hit the Shayrat airfield, from where the US believes the attack was launched. The Syrian army said that six people were killed and serious damage caused by the strike. WATCH: (AFP)

Moscow slams US 'aggression' in Syria, suspends air safety deal

President Donald Trump&#39;s former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, has discussed with congressional committees giving testimony in their investigations of potential ties between the Trump campaign and Russia, his lawyer said on Thursday.

The Wall Street Journal, citing officials with knowledge of the matter, reported on Thursday that Flynn had sought immunity from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the House and Senate intelligence panels in exchange for his testimony. The newspaper said he had so far found no takers.

The House of Representatives panel denied the Journal report. &quot;Michael Flynn has not offered to testify to HPSCI in exchange for immunity,&quot; committee spokesman Jack Langer said in a statement.

The FBI declined to comment. The Senate committee did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Flynn was fired in February as national security adviser for failing to disclose talks with Russia&#39;s ambassador about US&nbsp;sanctions on Moscow. The talks occurred before Trump took office in January.

Flynn&#39;s lawyer, Robert Kelner, confirmed in a statement that his client had held discussions with the House and Senate intelligence committees. His statement did not mention the FBI.

He said Flynn &quot;is now the target of unsubstantiated public demands by Members of Congress and other political critics that he be criminally investigated.&quot;

Kelner said Flynn would not &quot;submit to questioning in such a highly politicised, witch hunt environment without assurances against unfair prosecution.&quot;The FBI and the House and Senate intelligence committees are investigating allegations that Russians hacked Democratic Party computers and publicly disclosed the information in a bid to tip the November presidential election in favour of Trump, whose views were seen as more in line with the Moscow&#39;s.

They are also looking into possible ties between the Trump campaign and Russians.

Read Kelner&#39;s full statement below:

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Gen. Mike Flynn want to testify and &quot;has a story to tell&quot; per his attorney&#39;s statement, but he wants immunity now to do it. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FlynnFlipped?src=hash">#FlynnFlipped</a> <a href="https://t.co/29FuW6fI3y">pic.twitter.com/29FuW6fI3y</a>
&mdash; Girls Really Rule. (@girlsreallyrule) <a href="https://twitter.com/girlsreallyrule/status/847617322114195458">March 31, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Independent Senator Angus King, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, told CNN he could not confirm the Journal report, but &quot;if that turns out to be the case, that&#39;s a significant development I believe because it indicates that he has something important to say&rdquo;.

In September, Flynn commented on immunity on NBC&#39;s &quot;Meet the Press&quot; regarding Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and her team under FBI investigation into her use of a private email server.

&quot;When you are given immunity, that means you have probably committed a crime,&quot; Flynn had said. Before the 2016 US election, at Trump rallies Flynn repeatedly led &quot;lock&nbsp;her up&quot; chants&nbsp;about Hillary Clinton.

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In the above clip Flynn says, &quot;If I had done a tenth of what she [Clinton] did, I would be in jail today&quot;.

In October 2016, Flynn continued to characterise the Clinton email scandal, which cleared her of any wrongdoing, as &quot;high crime&quot; and &quot;far bigger than Watergate&quot;.

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ThrowbackThursday?src=hash">#ThrowbackThursday</a>: Gen. Mike Flynn in October... <a href="https://t.co/CvytW5BiiR">pic.twitter.com/CvytW5BiiR</a>
&mdash; Caroline O. (@RVAwonk) <a href="https://twitter.com/RVAwonk/status/847654926356430849">March 31, 2017</a></blockquote>
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The Associated Press reports that in the weeks after his&nbsp;resignation, Flynn and his business registered with the Justice Department as foreign agents for $530,000 worth of lobbying work that could have benefited the Turkish government.

The lobbying had occurred while Flynn was a top Trump campaign adviser. The Turkish businessman who hired Flynn, Ekim Alptekin, has told the Associated Press&nbsp;that Flynn&#39;s firm registered under pressure from the Justice Department.

(WION with inputs from Reuters)

Flynn resigned after he got caught lying, even to the vice president, about discussing anti-Kremlin sanctions with Russia's ambassador

President Donald Trump's former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, has discussed with congressional committees giving testimony in their investigations of potential ties between the Trump campaign and Russia, his lawyer said on Thursday. The Wall Street Journal, citing officials with knowledge of the matter, reported on Thursday that Flynn had sought immunity from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the House and Senate intelligence panels in exchange for his testimony. The newspaper said he had so far found no takers. The House of Representatives panel denied the Journal report. "Michael Flynn has not offered to testify to HPSCI in exchange for immunity," committee spokesman Jack Langer said in a statement. The FBI declined to comment. The Senate committee did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Flynn was fired in February as national security adviser for failing to disclose talks with Russia's ambassador about US sanctions on Moscow. The talks occurred before Trump took office in January. Flynn's lawyer, Robert Kelner, confirmed in a statement that his client had held discussions with the House and Senate intelligence committees. His statement did not mention the FBI. He said Flynn "is now the target of unsubstantiated public demands by Members of Congress and other political critics that he be criminally investigated." Kelner said Flynn would not "submit to questioning in such a highly politicised, witch hunt environment without assurances against unfair prosecution."The FBI and the House and Senate intelligence committees are investigating allegations that Russians hacked Democratic Party computers and publicly disclosed the information in a bid to tip the November presidential election in favour of Trump, whose views were seen as more in line with the Moscow's. They are also looking into possible ties between the Trump campaign and Russians. Read Kelner's full statement below: Gen. Mike Flynn want to testify and "has a story to tell" per his attorney's statement, but he wants immunity now to do it. #FlynnFlipped pic.twitter.com/29FuW6fI3y — Girls Really Rule. (@girlsreallyrule) March 31, 2017 × Independent Senator Angus King, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, told CNN he could not confirm the Journal report, but "if that turns out to be the case, that's a significant development I believe because it indicates that he has something important to say”. In September, Flynn commented on immunity on NBC's "Meet the Press" regarding Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and her team under FBI investigation into her use of a private email server. "When you are given immunity, that means you have probably committed a crime," Flynn had said. Before the 2016 US election, at Trump rallies Flynn repeatedly led "lock her up" chants about Hillary Clinton. In the above clip Flynn says, "If I had done a tenth of what she [Clinton] did, I would be in jail today". In October 2016, Flynn continued to characterise the Clinton email scandal, which cleared her of any wrongdoing, as "high crime" and "far bigger than Watergate". #ThrowbackThursday: Gen. Mike Flynn in October... pic.twitter.com/CvytW5BiiR — Caroline O. (@RVAwonk) March 31, 2017 × The Associated Press reports that in the weeks after his resignation, Flynn and his business registered with the Justice Department as foreign agents for $530,000 worth of lobbying work that could have benefited the Turkish government. The lobbying had occurred while Flynn was a top Trump campaign adviser. The Turkish businessman who hired Flynn, Ekim Alptekin, has told the Associated Press that Flynn's firm registered under pressure from the Justice Department. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Trump's ex-National Security Chief Flynn talking to Congress about testifying in Russia probe: Lawyer

The FBI possesses information indicating&nbsp;associates of US President Donald Trump communicated with suspected Russian operatives to possibly coordinate the divulging of information damaging to Hillary Clinton&#39;s presidential campaign, <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2017/03/22/politics/us-officials-info-suggests-trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians/index.html" target="_blank">CNN </a>reports, citing US officials.

One source told CNN that this is what FBI Director James Comey alluded to when he announced on Monday that not only was the FBI investigating Russian interference in the US election, but the Trump campaign&#39;s ties to Russia.

The information the FBI is now reviewing, CNN reports citing those US officials, includes: human intelligence, travel, business and phone records and accounts of in-person meetings.

US officials told CNN this information intelligence was not taken from the leaked dossier of unverified compiled by Christopher Steele, who was hired by Trump&#39;s opponents (first Republicans, then by Democrats), though that dossier also suggested there was coordination between Russian operatives and the Trump campaign.

These officials have cautioned that the investigation is ongoing and that the information was not conclusive, though it has raised the suspicions of FBI counterintelligence that &quot;coordination&quot; may have taken place.

&quot;Coordination&quot; is a term Comey described during the Monday&#39;s House Intelligence hearing: He made a distinction between two parties actively working together, and one party manipulating a second party into advancing the first party&#39;s interests without them knowing.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Background: Is there anything else&nbsp;to suggest links between Trump and Russia?

Two days after the US election, the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/moscow-had-contacts-with-trump-team-during-campaign-russian-diplomat-says/2016/11/10/28fb82fa-a73d-11e6-9bd6-184ab22d218e_story.html?utm_term=.30420cbf06da" target="_blank">Washington Post</a> reported&nbsp;Russian officials saying they &quot;conferred&quot;&nbsp;with the Trump campaign, saying &quot;there were contacts&quot;, during the election.

&quot;Obviously we know most of the people from his entourage,&quot; said Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov. Trump spokesman Hope Hicks said the campaign&nbsp;had &quot;no contact with Russian officials&quot;.

&nbsp;

Yesterday, an <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2017-03-22/urgent-manafort-s-plan-to-greatly-benefit-the-putin-government" target="_blank">Associated Press</a> report&nbsp;claimed that Paul Manafort, Trump&#39;s election campaign manager for 143 days, signed a $10 million anual contract&nbsp;in 2006 from a Russian billionaire&nbsp;to advance Russian president&nbsp;Vladimir Putin&#39;s interests.

Manafort <a href="http://www.politico.com/story/2016/08/paul-manafort-resigns-from-trump-campaign-227197" target="_blank">stepped down</a> from Trump&#39;s campaign after it became known that he lobbied for the pro-Putin Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych. Manafort denies he is&nbsp;linked to Russia.

&nbsp;

As <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/former-trump-advisor-admits-to-innocuous-private-contact-with-russian-dnc-hacker-during-election-13270">WION </a>wrote on March 11, then-Trump campaign adviser Roger Stone has&nbsp;admitted to having direct contact with both Julian Assange of WikiLeaks and the hacker who hacked the Democrats&#39; emails during the US election Guccifer 2.0, who US intelligence says is really just a front for the Russian military intelligence agency.

On Monday&#39;s <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/03/20/1645393/-Comey-confirms-that-Russia-used-WikiLeaks-which-Trump-loves-to-release-hacked-information" target="_blank">hearing</a>, FBI Director James Comey said that the Russians hacked the Democrats and used &quot;cutouts&quot;...&quot;to cover up that they were the ones releasing&quot; the stolen information.

Roger Stone <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2017/03/20/politics/kfile-roger-stone-wikileaks-claims/" target="_blank">appeared </a>to have advanced knowledge of the contents of the emails WikiLeaks possessed before they were made public. Roger Stone has denied there was anything illegal or improper in this communication.&nbsp;&nbsp;

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Wednesday@HillaryClinton is done. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Wikileaks?src=hash">#Wikileaks</a>.
&mdash; Roger Stone (@RogerJStoneJr) <a href="https://twitter.com/RogerJStoneJr/status/782443074874138624">October 2, 2016</a></blockquote>
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The first time WikiLeaks published Democrat campaign chief John Podesta&#39;s hacked emails came about&nbsp;two hours after the recording of Donald Trump saying he grabbed women &quot;<a href="http://www.vox.com/2016/10/7/13205842/trump-secret-recording-women" target="_blank">by the p*ssy</a>&quot;.

Afterwards, Trump praised WikiLeaks and continued throughout the election to use&nbsp;Podesta&#39;s hacked emails&nbsp;to cudgel Clinton.

During the third presidential debate, Donald Trump spoke directly to Russia, encouraging them to hack his Democrat opponent Hillary Clinton, saying: &quot;Russia, if you&#39;re listening, I hope you&#39;re able to find the 30,000 [Democrat] emails that are missing.&quot;

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Trump&#39;s pick for Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, the former CEO of the world&#39;s largest publicly traded&nbsp;international oil and gas company ExxonMobil, was personally awarded the &quot;Order of frienship&quot; from Vladimir Putin, given to &quot;reward foreign nationals whose work, deeds and efforts were aimed at the betterment of relations with the Russian Federation and its people&quot;. Despite having one of the most sought after jobs in politics anywhere Tillerson has no prior experience in politics.&nbsp;A&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ft.com/content/79fecace-0ee2-11e7-b030-768954394623" target="_blank">report </a>yesterday said Tillerson was &quot;stunned&quot; when he was approached for the job, as he was preparing for retirement.

Several members of Trump&#39;s campaign and White House administration have had contacts with Russian officials&nbsp;and lied about it, including: Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who had to recuse himself from any Trump-Russia probe after meeting Russian ambassador to the US Sergey&nbsp;Kislyak at least three times despite saying under oath he had never met any Russian officials;&nbsp;National Security Adviser Gen Michael Flynn, who had to resign after he was recorded discussing American sanctions against Russia with Ambassador Kislyak&nbsp;and lying about it, even to Vice President Mike Pence; Carter Page, and JD Gordon.

<a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/donald-trump-russian-ambassador-sergey-kislyak-meeting-election-campaign-a7617261.html">Donald Trump</a> himself met with Kislyak, and has both denied and admitted to having a relationship with <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCFgYzf4DV4" target="_blank">Vladimir Putin.</a>

(WION)

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

US officials say this after FBI Director Comey announced that the US president is under formal investigation for his links to Russia

The FBI possesses information indicating associates of US President Donald Trump communicated with suspected Russian operatives to possibly coordinate the divulging of information damaging to Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign, CNN reports, citing US officials. One source told CNN that this is what FBI Director James Comey alluded to when he announced on Monday that not only was the FBI investigating Russian interference in the US election, but the Trump campaign's ties to Russia. The information the FBI is now reviewing, CNN reports citing those US officials, includes: human intelligence, travel, business and phone records and accounts of in-person meetings. US officials told CNN this information intelligence was not taken from the leaked dossier of unverified compiled by Christopher Steele, who was hired by Trump's opponents (first Republicans, then by Democrats), though that dossier also suggested there was coordination between Russian operatives and the Trump campaign. These officials have cautioned that the investigation is ongoing and that the information was not conclusive, though it has raised the suspicions of FBI counterintelligence that "coordination" may have taken place. "Coordination" is a term Comey described during the Monday's House Intelligence hearing: He made a distinction between two parties actively working together, and one party manipulating a second party into advancing the first party's interests without them knowing. Background: Is there anything else to suggest links between Trump and Russia? Two days after the US election, the Washington Post reported Russian officials saying they "conferred" with the Trump campaign, saying "there were contacts", during the election. "Obviously we know most of the people from his entourage," said Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov. Trump spokesman Hope Hicks said the campaign had "no contact with Russian officials". Yesterday, an Associated Press report claimed that Paul Manafort, Trump's election campaign manager for 143 days, signed a $10 million anual contract in 2006 from a Russian billionaire to advance Russian president Vladimir Putin's interests. Manafort stepped down from Trump's campaign after it became known that he lobbied for the pro-Putin Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych. Manafort denies he is linked to Russia. As WION wrote on March 11, then-Trump campaign adviser Roger Stone has admitted to having direct contact with both Julian Assange of WikiLeaks and the hacker who hacked the Democrats' emails during the US election Guccifer 2.0, who US intelligence says is really just a front for the Russian military intelligence agency. On Monday's hearing, FBI Director James Comey said that the Russians hacked the Democrats and used "cutouts"..."to cover up that they were the ones releasing" the stolen information. Roger Stone appeared to have advanced knowledge of the contents of the emails WikiLeaks possessed before they were made public. Roger Stone has denied there was anything illegal or improper in this communication. Wednesday@HillaryClinton is done. #Wikileaks. — Roger Stone (@RogerJStoneJr) October 2, 2016 × The first time WikiLeaks published Democrat campaign chief John Podesta's hacked emails came about two hours after the recording of Donald Trump saying he grabbed women "by the p*ssy". Afterwards, Trump praised WikiLeaks and continued throughout the election to use Podesta's hacked emails to cudgel Clinton. During the third presidential debate, Donald Trump spoke directly to Russia, encouraging them to hack his Democrat opponent Hillary Clinton, saying: "Russia, if you're listening, I hope you're able to find the 30,000 [Democrat] emails that are missing." Trump's pick for Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, the former CEO of the world's largest publicly traded international oil and gas company ExxonMobil, was personally awarded the "Order of frienship" from Vladimir Putin, given to "reward foreign nationals whose work, deeds and efforts were aimed at the betterment of relations with the Russian Federation and its people". Despite having one of the most sought after jobs in politics anywhere Tillerson has no prior experience in politics. A report yesterday said Tillerson was "stunned" when he was approached for the job, as he was preparing for retirement. Several members of Trump's campaign and White House administration have had contacts with Russian officials and lied about it, including: Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who had to recuse himself from any Trump-Russia probe after meeting Russian ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak at least three times despite saying under oath he had never met any Russian officials; National Security Adviser Gen Michael Flynn, who had to resign after he was recorded discussing American sanctions against Russia with Ambassador Kislyak and lying about it, even to Vice President Mike Pence; Carter Page, and JD Gordon. Donald Trump himself met with Kislyak, and has both denied and admitted to having a relationship with Vladimir Putin. (WION)

New evidence suggests Trump associates may have coordinated with Russian officials: CNN

Thousands of Russians poured out on the streets and marched through central Moscow to pay their tribute&nbsp;to Putin-critic Boris Nemtsov, two years after he was fatally shot dead near the Kremlin.

On February 27, 2015, the former deputy prime minister was shot dead by four fatal gunshots while he was with his girlfriend.

Five Chehcen men are currently on trial for carrying out a contract hit, but the people who paid them have not been brought to justice.

Nemtsov&#39;s daughter has said the mastermind of the assassination remains unknown.

But Russians, clutching a bunch of red carnations, took to the streets to express their solidarity behind the family of the slain politician, the highest-profile murder since Russian President Vladimir Putin took charge in 2000.

&quot;We came to pay tribute to the honesty and bravery of Boris&nbsp;Nemtsov,&quot; pensioner Galina Zolina told AFP, clutching a bunch of red carnations.&nbsp;

&quot;We want to show the authorities that we haven&#39;t forgotten.&quot;

Some marchers even carried placards with &quot;Russia without Putin&quot; written on them.

Charismatic&nbsp;Nemtsov&nbsp;-- who went from Kremlin insider under Boris Yeltsin to one of Putin&#39;s fiercest foes -- was hit in the back by four fatal shots as he walked home across a bridge by the Kremlin with his girlfriend.&nbsp;

The march Sunday was permitted by the authorities but not allowed to include a makeshift memorial officials have repeatedly sought to dismantle at the spot&nbsp;Nemtsov&nbsp;was killed.&nbsp;

Some 15,000 demonstrators, organisers and AFP estimated, surrounded by a heavy police presence waved Russian flags and posters criticising the Kremlin and Moscow&#39;s intervention in Ukraine, which&nbsp;Nemtsov&nbsp;had fiercely opposed right up to his death.&nbsp;

&quot;The march can maybe get the attention of the authorities,&quot; said unemployed biologist Alexei Kuznetsov.&nbsp;

&quot;It might be able to influence the investigation, show that the case resonates in society even if the authorities try to ignore it.&quot;&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from AFP)

Charismatic Boris Nemtsov was gunned down two years back and some 15,000 protesters demanded further probe into his assassination

Thousands of Russians poured out on the streets and marched through central Moscow to pay their tribute to Putin-critic Boris Nemtsov, two years after he was fatally shot dead near the Kremlin. On February 27, 2015, the former deputy prime minister was shot dead by four fatal gunshots while he was with his girlfriend. Five Chehcen men are currently on trial for carrying out a contract hit, but the people who paid them have not been brought to justice. Nemtsov's daughter has said the mastermind of the assassination remains unknown. But Russians, clutching a bunch of red carnations, took to the streets to express their solidarity behind the family of the slain politician, the highest-profile murder since Russian President Vladimir Putin took charge in 2000. "We came to pay tribute to the honesty and bravery of Boris Nemtsov," pensioner Galina Zolina told AFP, clutching a bunch of red carnations. "We want to show the authorities that we haven't forgotten." Some marchers even carried placards with "Russia without Putin" written on them. Charismatic Nemtsov -- who went from Kremlin insider under Boris Yeltsin to one of Putin's fiercest foes -- was hit in the back by four fatal shots as he walked home across a bridge by the Kremlin with his girlfriend. The march Sunday was permitted by the authorities but not allowed to include a makeshift memorial officials have repeatedly sought to dismantle at the spot Nemtsov was killed. Some 15,000 demonstrators, organisers and AFP estimated, surrounded by a heavy police presence waved Russian flags and posters criticising the Kremlin and Moscow's intervention in Ukraine, which Nemtsov had fiercely opposed right up to his death. "The march can maybe get the attention of the authorities," said unemployed biologist Alexei Kuznetsov. "It might be able to influence the investigation, show that the case resonates in society even if the authorities try to ignore it." (WION with inputs from AFP)

Russians throng central Moscow to remember Putin-critic Nemtsov's murder

Top Russian opposition leader&nbsp;and a vociferous critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin,&nbsp;Alexei Navalny, was handed a five-year suspended sentence for embezzlement, a ruling that threatens his chances to contest next year&#39;s presidential election.

But Navalny remains defiant despite the verdict, which in Russian laws bar a person from standing for office.

Navalny, who came at the forefront of Russian politics for spearheading&nbsp;the protests against Putin in 2011-12, was proved guilty by a judge in the provincial city of Kirov for pilfering&nbsp;16 million rubles ($270,000, 253,000 euros) from the regional budget in a timber deal.

The anti-Putin politician said the verdict was telegrammed by the kremlin and vowed to continue his campaigning.

&quot;According to the constitution I have a full right to take part in the elections and I will do that,&quot; Navalny said after the verdict.&nbsp;

&quot;I will continue to represent the interests of people who want to see Russia a normal, honest and non-corrupt country.&quot;

He also launched a broadside against Putin, tweeting: &quot;Putin and his gang of thieves fear meeting us in elections.&nbsp;And they are right: we will win.&quot;

The court was holding a retrial after&nbsp;Navalny and his co-defendant, businessman Pyotr Ofitserov were convicted of alleged embezzlement in 2013.

The European Court of Human Rights last year quashed the 2013 ruling, saying the men did not have a fair trial.

But Russia&#39;s supreme court then ordered that Navalny and Ofitserov face a retrial.

The judge on Wednesday gave Navalny and Ofitserov exactly the same sentences as before and used almost identical wording in a ruling he read out over more than three hours.

Navalny&#39;s suspended sentence will run out in about 18 months as he already served most of the five years sentence prior to the retrial, his lawyer Olga Mikhailova told journalists.

(WION with inputs from AFP)

Alexei Navalny was handed a five-year suspended sentence that threatens to end his bid to challenge Putin in next year's election

Top Russian opposition leader and a vociferous critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Alexei Navalny, was handed a five-year suspended sentence for embezzlement, a ruling that threatens his chances to contest next year's presidential election. But Navalny remains defiant despite the verdict, which in Russian laws bar a person from standing for office. Navalny, who came at the forefront of Russian politics for spearheading the protests against Putin in 2011-12, was proved guilty by a judge in the provincial city of Kirov for pilfering 16 million rubles ($270,000, 253,000 euros) from the regional budget in a timber deal. The anti-Putin politician said the verdict was telegrammed by the kremlin and vowed to continue his campaigning. "According to the constitution I have a full right to take part in the elections and I will do that," Navalny said after the verdict. "I will continue to represent the interests of people who want to see Russia a normal, honest and non-corrupt country." He also launched a broadside against Putin, tweeting: "Putin and his gang of thieves fear meeting us in elections. And they are right: we will win." The court was holding a retrial after Navalny and his co-defendant, businessman Pyotr Ofitserov were convicted of alleged embezzlement in 2013. The European Court of Human Rights last year quashed the 2013 ruling, saying the men did not have a fair trial. But Russia's supreme court then ordered that Navalny and Ofitserov face a retrial. The judge on Wednesday gave Navalny and Ofitserov exactly the same sentences as before and used almost identical wording in a ruling he read out over more than three hours. Navalny's suspended sentence will run out in about 18 months as he already served most of the five years sentence prior to the retrial, his lawyer Olga Mikhailova told journalists. (WION with inputs from AFP)

Russia: President Putin's adversary found guilty of graft

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Saturday giving the US military 30 days to devise a plan to &quot;defeat&quot; the Islamic State group.

The plan makes good on a key campaign pledge of Trump, who mocked and criticised the slow pace of his predecessor Barack Obama&#39;s progress in the fight against the extremist fighters.

The text, which calls for a &quot;comprehensive strategy and plans for the defeat of ISIS,&quot; is seen as meaning more US forces and military hardware moving into Iraq and Syria.

Pentagon chief James Mattis is also tasked with recommending changes to US rules of engagement and policy restrictions to eliminate those that &quot;exceed the requirements of international law regarding the use of force against ISIS&quot; under the order, which also seeks to cut the group&#39;s financial support.

Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin agreed in a telephone call to establish &quot;real coordination&quot; against the Islamic State group in Syria, according to the Kremlin.

Yet many in the US military are suspicious of Russia&#39;s role in Syria, with Moscow seen as seeking first and foremost to support and defend President Bashar al-Assad&#39;s regime.

&quot;We have to get rid of ISIS. We have no choice,&quot; Trump told Fox News in an interview broadcast Thursday, using another acronym for the jihadist group.&nbsp;

&quot;This is evil. This is a level of evil that we haven&#39;t seen.&quot;

Seeking &#39;quicker results&#39;&nbsp; 
Barack Obama took a longer-term view of the anti-IS fight, with a more cautious commitment of US forces and instead of ramping up an air war against the violent extremists.

&quot;President Trump might be looking for something with quicker results, that could put some more options on the table,&quot; retired lieutenant general David Barno, who led coalition forces in Afghanistan from 2003 to 2005, told National Public Radio on Friday.

The United States currently has 5,000 troops in Iraq and 500 in Syria as &quot;advisers&quot; -- but also US artillery and aircraft to help in the fight.

They have provided substantial support to the assault led by Iraqi forces on Islamic State&#39;s hold on the key city of Mosul.

The slow, steady assault has driven IS fighters out of part of the city on the east bank of the Tigris River, and forces are now preparing an assault on IS-held Mosul neighbourhoods on the river&#39;s west bank.&nbsp;

According to reports, an escalation of the US role could involve more US armour and helicopters engaging in the assaults on IS positions together with Iraqi, Turkish and Kurdish forces.

Trump &quot;could elect to put American boots on the ground in larger numbers,&quot; Barno said.&nbsp;

&quot;That all entails new uses of military power... and that opens the prospect of a deeper involvement with more casualties.&quot;

(AFP)

While former US president Barack Obama took a long-term view of the fight against IS, Donald Trump wants quicker results

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Saturday giving the US military 30 days to devise a plan to "defeat" the Islamic State group. The plan makes good on a key campaign pledge of Trump, who mocked and criticised the slow pace of his predecessor Barack Obama's progress in the fight against the extremist fighters. The text, which calls for a "comprehensive strategy and plans for the defeat of ISIS," is seen as meaning more US forces and military hardware moving into Iraq and Syria. Pentagon chief James Mattis is also tasked with recommending changes to US rules of engagement and policy restrictions to eliminate those that "exceed the requirements of international law regarding the use of force against ISIS" under the order, which also seeks to cut the group's financial support. Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin agreed in a telephone call to establish "real coordination" against the Islamic State group in Syria, according to the Kremlin. Yet many in the US military are suspicious of Russia's role in Syria, with Moscow seen as seeking first and foremost to support and defend President Bashar al-Assad's regime. "We have to get rid of ISIS. We have no choice," Trump told Fox News in an interview broadcast Thursday, using another acronym for the jihadist group. "This is evil. This is a level of evil that we haven't seen." Seeking 'quicker results' Barack Obama took a longer-term view of the anti-IS fight, with a more cautious commitment of US forces and instead of ramping up an air war against the violent extremists. "President Trump might be looking for something with quicker results, that could put some more options on the table," retired lieutenant general David Barno, who led coalition forces in Afghanistan from 2003 to 2005, told National Public Radio on Friday. The United States currently has 5,000 troops in Iraq and 500 in Syria as "advisers" -- but also US artillery and aircraft to help in the fight. They have provided substantial support to the assault led by Iraqi forces on Islamic State's hold on the key city of Mosul. The slow, steady assault has driven IS fighters out of part of the city on the east bank of the Tigris River, and forces are now preparing an assault on IS-held Mosul neighbourhoods on the river's west bank. According to reports, an escalation of the US role could involve more US armour and helicopters engaging in the assaults on IS positions together with Iraqi, Turkish and Kurdish forces. Trump "could elect to put American boots on the ground in larger numbers," Barno said. "That all entails new uses of military power... and that opens the prospect of a deeper involvement with more casualties." (AFP)

Trump gives generals 30 days for new anti-Islamic State strategy

US&nbsp;President Donald Trump&#39;s choice for secretary of state, former Exxon Mobil Corp&nbsp;Chief Executive Officer Rex Tillerson, narrowly won approval from a Senate committee on Monday but is expected to win confirmation from the full Senate.

The US&nbsp;Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted 11-10 to approve Tillerson, with every committee Republican backing Tillerson and every Democrat opposing his nomination. His backing by the committee had been in doubt until earlier on Monday, when Republican Senator Marco Rubio, a committee member, said he planned to back Tillerson.

His confirmation vote in the 100-member Senate, where Republicans hold a 52-seat majority, is not expected before next week.

Rubio said he was troubled by Tillerson&#39;s comments during his confirmation hearing regarding Russia as well as other countries, but that he ultimately decided he would vote to approve the nominee in deference to Trump, as well as to fill a critical top job.

Democrats who voted against Tillerson said their concerns included fears that he might move to lift sanctions on Russia, where he did business for years as an Exxon executive, questions about his views on human rights and unhappiness that he would not promise to recuse himself from matters related to Exxon during his entire term as the top US&nbsp;diplomat.

Tillerson said during his hearing that he would recuse himself only for the one year required by law. Tillerson also angered some lawmakers during the hearing by saying he did not know that Exxon Mobil had lobbied against Russian sanctions while he was running the company.

John McCain was among the Republicans who voted for Tillerson.&nbsp;Earlier this week the Republican senator said he was&nbsp;&quot;very cautious&quot; about his decision to vote for Tilerson, but said he was reassured after talking with him about Russia and what his job was as secretary of state, <a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/mccain-graham-will-vote-yes-tillerson-despite-skepticism-n710551">ABC reports.</a>

&quot;Listen, this wasn&#39;t an easy call, but I believe when there&#39;s doubt, the incoming president gets the benefit of the doubt,&quot;McCain said.

Earlier in January McCain vowed to fight for stronger sanctions against Russia, and appeared to be locked in a war against Trump, as it was he who <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jan/10/fbi-chief-given-dossier-by-john-mccain-alleging-secret-trump-russia-contacts">passed the&nbsp;dossier </a>to FBI director James Comey, alleging Trump has secret contacts with Russia. &quot;He and his inner circle have accepted a regular flow of intelligence from the Kremlin, including on his Democratic and other political rivals,&quot; the dossier claimed.&nbsp;

It also alleged: &quot;FSB has compromised Trump through his activities in Moscow sufficiently to be able to blackmail him.&quot; Putin called this claim a &quot;complete fabrication and utter nonsense&quot;.

Senator Ben Cardin, the committee&#39;s ranking Democrat, said Tillerson&#39;s &quot;business orientation&quot; and responses at his hearing &quot;could compromise his ability as secretary of state to forcefully promote the values and ideals that have defined our country and our leading role in the world for more than 200 years.&quot;

(With inputs from Reuters)

Every Democrat opposed Trump's controversial choice, worried over Tillerson's views on human rights and his relations with Russia

US President Donald Trump's choice for secretary of state, former Exxon Mobil Corp Chief Executive Officer Rex Tillerson, narrowly won approval from a Senate committee on Monday but is expected to win confirmation from the full Senate. The US Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted 11-10 to approve Tillerson, with every committee Republican backing Tillerson and every Democrat opposing his nomination. His backing by the committee had been in doubt until earlier on Monday, when Republican Senator Marco Rubio, a committee member, said he planned to back Tillerson. His confirmation vote in the 100-member Senate, where Republicans hold a 52-seat majority, is not expected before next week. Rubio said he was troubled by Tillerson's comments during his confirmation hearing regarding Russia as well as other countries, but that he ultimately decided he would vote to approve the nominee in deference to Trump, as well as to fill a critical top job. Democrats who voted against Tillerson said their concerns included fears that he might move to lift sanctions on Russia, where he did business for years as an Exxon executive, questions about his views on human rights and unhappiness that he would not promise to recuse himself from matters related to Exxon during his entire term as the top US diplomat. Tillerson said during his hearing that he would recuse himself only for the one year required by law. Tillerson also angered some lawmakers during the hearing by saying he did not know that Exxon Mobil had lobbied against Russian sanctions while he was running the company. John McCain was among the Republicans who voted for Tillerson. Earlier this week the Republican senator said he was "very cautious" about his decision to vote for Tilerson, but said he was reassured after talking with him about Russia and what his job was as secretary of state, ABC reports. "Listen, this wasn't an easy call, but I believe when there's doubt, the incoming president gets the benefit of the doubt,"McCain said. Earlier in January McCain vowed to fight for stronger sanctions against Russia, and appeared to be locked in a war against Trump, as it was he who passed the dossier to FBI director James Comey, alleging Trump has secret contacts with Russia. "He and his inner circle have accepted a regular flow of intelligence from the Kremlin, including on his Democratic and other political rivals," the dossier claimed. It also alleged: "FSB has compromised Trump through his activities in Moscow sufficiently to be able to blackmail him." Putin called this claim a "complete fabrication and utter nonsense". Senator Ben Cardin, the committee's ranking Democrat, said Tillerson's "business orientation" and responses at his hearing "could compromise his ability as secretary of state to forcefully promote the values and ideals that have defined our country and our leading role in the world for more than 200 years." (With inputs from Reuters)

Trump's pick for state secretary Rex Tillerson narrowly approved by Senate committee

Outgoing US President Barack Obama&#39;s final press conference took on a&nbsp;political&nbsp;edge as he promised&nbsp;to raise his voice if President-elect Donald Trump disrupts core values and assured Americans, &quot;we&#39;ll be okay&quot;.

The 55-year-old said he wanted to do some writing and spend time with his daughters, but he will speak out if he saw &quot;systematic discrimination being ratified in some fashion.&nbsp;I put in that category explicit or functional obstacles to people being able to vote, to exercise their franchise.&quot;

&quot;There&#39;s a difference between that normal functioning of politics and certain issues or certain moments where I think our core values may be at stake,&quot; Obama told reporters.&nbsp;

Reassuring the American public, Obama said, &quot;I have offered my best advice,&quot; to Donald Trump.&nbsp;

&quot;I can tell you that -- this is something I have told him -- that this is a job of such magnitude that you can&#39;t do it by yourself. You are enormously reliant on a team.&quot;

He also warned Trump to think well before deciding foreign policy, which may be popular at home but could have consequences.

&quot;It&#39;s a volatile environment. What we have seen in the past is when some unilateral moves are made that speak to some of the core issues and sensitivities of either side, that can be explosive.&quot;

He also defended his decision to commute the sentence of transgender army private Chelsea Manning, who was serving a prison sentence of 35 years for leaking classified documents to WikiLeaks.&nbsp;

&quot;Let&#39;s be clear. Chelsea Manning has served a tough prison sentence,&quot; Obama said. &quot;I know I feel very comfortable that justice has been served and that a message has still been sent.&quot;

Obama&#39;s decision was slammed by Republicans who have accused Manning of being a traitor.&nbsp;

When asked about Trump&#39;s intention to mend ties with Russia, Obama said it was &quot;in America&#39;s interest and the world&#39;s interest.&quot;

However Putin&#39;s&nbsp;&quot;adversarial spirit&quot; had &quot;made the relationship more difficult,&quot; Obama said.&nbsp;Obama&#39;s administration had imposed sanctions on Russia in 2014 after Putin&#39;s forces annexed&nbsp;the Crimea peninsula from Ukraine.&nbsp;

&quot;Russia continues to occupy Ukrainian territory and meddle in Ukrainian affairs,&quot; Obama told reporters.&nbsp;&quot;I think it would probably best serve, not only American interests, but also the interests of preserving international norms if we made sure that we don&#39;t confuse why these sanctions have been imposed with a whole set of other issues,&quot; he said.

&quot;It is important for the United States to stand up for the basic principal that big countries don&#39;t go around and invade and bully smaller countries,&quot; the Democratic president added.

President-elect Trump&nbsp;has said he wants to improve ties with Russia, despite allegations by US&nbsp;intelligence agencies that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a cyber campaign to boost Trump&#39;s campaign against Democrat Hillary Clinton. Moscow has denied the allegations.

Obama worked on a nuclear arms control agreement with Moscow early in his presidency, resulting in the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty signed in 2010.&nbsp;&quot;I was prepared to go further, I told President Putin I was prepared to go further. They have been unwilling to negotiate,&quot; Obama said, blaming Putin for &quot;escalating anti-American rhetoric&quot;.&nbsp;

Obama said a more &quot;constructive relationship&quot; with Russia would be a good goal. The United States and Russia are by far the world`s biggest nuclear powers.

&quot;If President-elect Trump is able to restart those talks in a serious way, I think there remains a lot of room for our two countries to reduce our stockpiles,&quot; Obama said.

Voicing his support for the White House press corps, he said, &quot;We are accountable to the people who send us here. And you have done it,&quot; Obama said. &quot;You&#39;re not supposed to be sycophants. You&#39;re supposed to be skeptics .&quot;

Trump who has had a contentious relationship with the media, suggested evicting the White House press corps from the West Wing, putting an end to daily press briefings and access.&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from AFP)

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In his farewell press conference, Obama promised?to raise his voice if President-elect Donald Trump disrupts American values

Outgoing US President Barack Obama's final press conference took on a political edge as he promised to raise his voice if President-elect Donald Trump disrupts core values and assured Americans, "we'll be okay". The 55-year-old said he wanted to do some writing and spend time with his daughters, but he will speak out if he saw "systematic discrimination being ratified in some fashion. I put in that category explicit or functional obstacles to people being able to vote, to exercise their franchise." "There's a difference between that normal functioning of politics and certain issues or certain moments where I think our core values may be at stake," Obama told reporters. Reassuring the American public, Obama said, "I have offered my best advice," to Donald Trump. "I can tell you that -- this is something I have told him -- that this is a job of such magnitude that you can't do it by yourself. You are enormously reliant on a team." He also warned Trump to think well before deciding foreign policy, which may be popular at home but could have consequences. "It's a volatile environment. What we have seen in the past is when some unilateral moves are made that speak to some of the core issues and sensitivities of either side, that can be explosive." He also defended his decision to commute the sentence of transgender army private Chelsea Manning, who was serving a prison sentence of 35 years for leaking classified documents to WikiLeaks. "Let's be clear. Chelsea Manning has served a tough prison sentence," Obama said. "I know I feel very comfortable that justice has been served and that a message has still been sent." Obama's decision was slammed by Republicans who have accused Manning of being a traitor. When asked about Trump's intention to mend ties with Russia, Obama said it was "in America's interest and the world's interest." However Putin's "adversarial spirit" had "made the relationship more difficult," Obama said. Obama's administration had imposed sanctions on Russia in 2014 after Putin's forces annexed the Crimea peninsula from Ukraine. "Russia continues to occupy Ukrainian territory and meddle in Ukrainian affairs," Obama told reporters. "I think it would probably best serve, not only American interests, but also the interests of preserving international norms if we made sure that we don't confuse why these sanctions have been imposed with a whole set of other issues," he said. "It is important for the United States to stand up for the basic principal that big countries don't go around and invade and bully smaller countries," the Democratic president added. President-elect Trump has said he wants to improve ties with Russia, despite allegations by US intelligence agencies that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a cyber campaign to boost Trump's campaign against Democrat Hillary Clinton. Moscow has denied the allegations. Obama worked on a nuclear arms control agreement with Moscow early in his presidency, resulting in the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty signed in 2010. "I was prepared to go further, I told President Putin I was prepared to go further. They have been unwilling to negotiate," Obama said, blaming Putin for "escalating anti-American rhetoric". Obama said a more "constructive relationship" with Russia would be a good goal. The United States and Russia are by far the world`s biggest nuclear powers. "If President-elect Trump is able to restart those talks in a serious way, I think there remains a lot of room for our two countries to reduce our stockpiles," Obama said. Voicing his support for the White House press corps, he said, "We are accountable to the people who send us here. And you have done it," Obama said. "You're not supposed to be sycophants. You're supposed to be skeptics ." Trump who has had a contentious relationship with the media, suggested evicting the White House press corps from the West Wing, putting an end to daily press briefings and access. (WION with inputs from AFP)

I think our core values may be at stake: Obama

Allegations of Russian interference in US politics cast a shadow over inaugural preparations on Sunday, with the CIA chief warning that President-elect Donald Trump must tamp down his shoot-from-the-hip style to protect national security.&nbsp;

John Brennan&#39;s warning to the incoming Republican president -&nbsp;just days before Friday&#39;s inauguration -&nbsp;came as senators launched a bipartisan probe into Moscow&#39;s alleged meddling in the 2016 election.

&quot;I don&#39;t think he has a full appreciation of Russian capabilities, Russia&#39;s intentions and actions,&quot; ?Brennan said of Trump on Fox News Sunday.&nbsp;

Trump has been effusive in his praise of Vladimir Putin and said in a news conference last week that if the Russian leader &quot;likes&quot; him it would be an &quot;asset&quot; to help repair the strained US-Russian relationship.

&quot;I think Mr. Trump has to be very disciplined in terms of what it is that he says publicly,&quot; Brennan said. &quot;He is going to be, in a few days&#39; time, the most powerful person in the world, in terms of sitting on top of the United States government and I think he has to recognise that his words do have impact.&quot;

&quot;This is more than being about him, it&#39;s about the United States and national security... he&#39;s going to have the opportunity to do something for national security as opposed to talking and tweeting,&quot; he said.

&quot;Spontaneity is not something that protects national security interests, so therefore, when he speaks, when he reacts, he has to make sure he understands that the implications and impact on the United States could be profound.&quot;

&#39;A sophisticated effort&#39;

US intelligence agencies allege that Putin ordered a covert effort to interfere in the election to boost Trump, 70, and harm his opponent, Democrat Hillary Clinton.

Incoming Vice President Mike Pence on Sunday dismissed notions that the Trump team and the Kremlin had made contact during the 2016 race.

&quot;This is all a distraction,&quot; he said on NBC&#39;s Meet the Press. &quot;It&#39;s all part of a narrative to delegitimize the election and to question the legitimacy of his presidency.&quot;

A report from the Director of National Intelligence released this month said hackers working for Russia penetrated Democratic Party computers and accounts to release files embarrassing to Clinton, and also conducted a campaign of media manipulation with the same aim.

Asked whether she believed Russian efforts impacted the election&#39;s outcome, Democrat Dianne Feinstein of California -- vice chair of the Senate committee launching the bipartisan probe into the matter -- told NBC &quot;that&#39;s what I believe.&quot;

&quot;I have had all of the major classified briefings. I have been astonished at what has been a two-year effort at Russia to spearfish, to hack, to provide disinformation, propaganda, wherever it really could,&quot; the senator said.

&quot;I think it has been a very sophisticated effort.&quot;

&#39;Salacious allegations&#39;

Speculation was also swirling around an unproven dossier compiled by a former British MI6 intelligence agent, which alleged close ties between the Trump campaign and the Russian government, and also said Moscow had compromising video of Trump.

The fact that intelligence agencies had briefed the president-elect on the dossier -- which was later published online by BuzzFeed -- lent the allegations credence, but Brennan said the intelligence community was only &quot;making sure that the president-elect was aware that it was circulating.&quot;

&quot;I think there are some very salacious allegations in there -- again, unsubstantiated,&quot; he said, adding it was &quot;a responsibility in the minds of the intelligence directors&quot; to inform Trump as well as the Obama White House of the report.

Brennan bristled at Trump&#39;s likening of the US intelligence community to Nazi Germany, a comparison the president-elect made last week in a tweet after &nbsp;suggesting it was those agencies that had leaked the report.

&quot;What I do find outrageous is equating the intelligence community with Nazi Germany,&quot; the outgoing spy chief said of Trump&#39;s outburst. &quot;I do take great umbrage at that.&quot;

Speaking earlier Sunday on CBS, Pence blamed the scandal on &quot;media bias.&quot;

That some news organizations &quot;actually trafficked in a memo that was produced as opposition research and associated that with intelligence efforts -- I think that could only be attributed to media bias,&quot; the vice president-elect said.&nbsp;

(AFP)

Trump said last week that if the Russian leader 'likes' him it would be an 'asset' to help repair the strained US-Russian relationship

Allegations of Russian interference in US politics cast a shadow over inaugural preparations on Sunday, with the CIA chief warning that President-elect Donald Trump must tamp down his shoot-from-the-hip style to protect national security. John Brennan's warning to the incoming Republican president - just days before Friday's inauguration - came as senators launched a bipartisan probe into Moscow's alleged meddling in the 2016 election. "I don't think he has a full appreciation of Russian capabilities, Russia's intentions and actions," ?Brennan said of Trump on Fox News Sunday. Trump has been effusive in his praise of Vladimir Putin and said in a news conference last week that if the Russian leader "likes" him it would be an "asset" to help repair the strained US-Russian relationship. "I think Mr. Trump has to be very disciplined in terms of what it is that he says publicly," Brennan said. "He is going to be, in a few days' time, the most powerful person in the world, in terms of sitting on top of the United States government and I think he has to recognise that his words do have impact." "This is more than being about him, it's about the United States and national security... he's going to have the opportunity to do something for national security as opposed to talking and tweeting," he said. "Spontaneity is not something that protects national security interests, so therefore, when he speaks, when he reacts, he has to make sure he understands that the implications and impact on the United States could be profound." 'A sophisticated effort' US intelligence agencies allege that Putin ordered a covert effort to interfere in the election to boost Trump, 70, and harm his opponent, Democrat Hillary Clinton. Incoming Vice President Mike Pence on Sunday dismissed notions that the Trump team and the Kremlin had made contact during the 2016 race. "This is all a distraction," he said on NBC's Meet the Press. "It's all part of a narrative to delegitimize the election and to question the legitimacy of his presidency." A report from the Director of National Intelligence released this month said hackers working for Russia penetrated Democratic Party computers and accounts to release files embarrassing to Clinton, and also conducted a campaign of media manipulation with the same aim. Asked whether she believed Russian efforts impacted the election's outcome, Democrat Dianne Feinstein of California -- vice chair of the Senate committee launching the bipartisan probe into the matter -- told NBC "that's what I believe." "I have had all of the major classified briefings. I have been astonished at what has been a two-year effort at Russia to spearfish, to hack, to provide disinformation, propaganda, wherever it really could," the senator said. "I think it has been a very sophisticated effort." 'Salacious allegations' Speculation was also swirling around an unproven dossier compiled by a former British MI6 intelligence agent, which alleged close ties between the Trump campaign and the Russian government, and also said Moscow had compromising video of Trump. The fact that intelligence agencies had briefed the president-elect on the dossier -- which was later published online by BuzzFeed -- lent the allegations credence, but Brennan said the intelligence community was only "making sure that the president-elect was aware that it was circulating." "I think there are some very salacious allegations in there -- again, unsubstantiated," he said, adding it was "a responsibility in the minds of the intelligence directors" to inform Trump as well as the Obama White House of the report. Brennan bristled at Trump's likening of the US intelligence community to Nazi Germany, a comparison the president-elect made last week in a tweet after suggesting it was those agencies that had leaked the report. "What I do find outrageous is equating the intelligence community with Nazi Germany," the outgoing spy chief said of Trump's outburst. "I do take great umbrage at that." Speaking earlier Sunday on CBS, Pence blamed the scandal on "media bias." That some news organizations "actually trafficked in a memo that was produced as opposition research and associated that with intelligence efforts -- I think that could only be attributed to media bias," the vice president-elect said. (AFP)

US: CIA chief urges Trump to temper impulses amid Russia claims

Russia denied a report that suggested US President-elect Donald Trump was planning to hold a summit with Russian leader Vladimir Putin on his first foreign trip shortly after taking office.

&quot;There have not been talks about a meeting yet,&quot; the Kremlin&#39;s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told RIA, in response to the Sunday Times report that was published on January 15.

The UK-based newspaper had said Trump was seeking to &quot;reset&quot; relations with the Kremlin, with Iceland the likely venue, emulating Ronald Reagan&#39;s Reykjavik meeting with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in 1986 during the height of Cold War, the newspaper said, citing unnamed British officials.

Trump, who will be inaugurated on Friday (January 20), is planning to work on a deal limiting nuclear weapons as part of his bid to recalibrate relations between the two powers, the report went on to say.

Even Iceland said it was not aware of such plans but was willing to host a summit to help improve relations between Washington and Moscow.

&quot;The Icelandic government has not received a query with regards to this,&quot; Foreign Minister Gudlaugur Thor Thordarson said in reply to a question from the mbl.is news website.

&quot;If officials in Washington DC make a formal request for the Icelandic government to organise a summit in Reykjavik we will look at it positively and make this our input to improve relations between the US and Russia, remember the summit at Hofdi house in 1986,&quot; he said.

Trump has expressed admiration for Putin, and only reluctantly accepted US intelligence&#39;s conclusion that hackers acting on the Russian strongman&#39;s authority interfered in the US elections.

In an interview with The Wall Street Journal published on Friday, Trump hinted that he may lift sanctions imposed on Russia over Moscow&#39;s alleged cyberattacks if Russia helps the US on key goals such as fighting jihadist groups.

(Agencies) 
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The UK-based Sunday Times had reported the US president-elect wanted to meet Putin to 'reset' relations with Russia

Russia denied a report that suggested US President-elect Donald Trump was planning to hold a summit with Russian leader Vladimir Putin on his first foreign trip shortly after taking office. "There have not been talks about a meeting yet," the Kremlin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov told RIA, in response to the Sunday Times report that was published on January 15. The UK-based newspaper had said Trump was seeking to "reset" relations with the Kremlin, with Iceland the likely venue, emulating Ronald Reagan's Reykjavik meeting with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in 1986 during the height of Cold War, the newspaper said, citing unnamed British officials. Trump, who will be inaugurated on Friday (January 20), is planning to work on a deal limiting nuclear weapons as part of his bid to recalibrate relations between the two powers, the report went on to say. Even Iceland said it was not aware of such plans but was willing to host a summit to help improve relations between Washington and Moscow. "The Icelandic government has not received a query with regards to this," Foreign Minister Gudlaugur Thor Thordarson said in reply to a question from the mbl.is news website. "If officials in Washington DC make a formal request for the Icelandic government to organise a summit in Reykjavik we will look at it positively and make this our input to improve relations between the US and Russia, remember the summit at Hofdi house in 1986," he said. Trump has expressed admiration for Putin, and only reluctantly accepted US intelligence's conclusion that hackers acting on the Russian strongman's authority interfered in the US elections. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal published on Friday, Trump hinted that he may lift sanctions imposed on Russia over Moscow's alleged cyberattacks if Russia helps the US on key goals such as fighting jihadist groups. (Agencies)

Russia denies report about Trump, Putin meeting in Iceland

The US Secretary of State John Kerry has said that the United States is encouraging Syria peace talks being prepared by Russia later this month in the Kazakhstan capital Astana.

The US hopes that the talks succeed in building peace in Syria, he said.

&quot;We&#39;re encouraging a meeting in Astana. We hope that could produce a step forward,&quot; Kerry told reporters during his final news conference at the State Department.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on December 26 that Russia, Iran, Turkey and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had all agreed to hold the talks in Astana although no date has been set.

Kerry said he had talked to UN Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, and the objective remained &quot;to get to Geneva where the real meat of the talks is going to take place.&quot;

But Kerry said a December 30 ceasefire brokered by Russia and Turkey had run into difficulties with numerous violations.

&quot;The fighting is continuing, it`s difficult and the Assad regime seems to be playing the same card that it was playing previously,&quot; he said.

After several failed ceasefire attempts brokered by Kerry and Lavrov, the United States remained out of the latest Syrian talks. It is unclear whether the United States will attend the Astana talks.

Russia and Iran both back Assad, but Turkey, a NATO member, has long made clear it would prefer that Assad step down.&nbsp;

Ankara, however, has moderated its rhetoric on Assad in recent months and Lavrov said all three countries agreed the priority was to fight terrorism rather than to remove the Syrian leader.

(Reuters)

Russian President Putin had said that Russia, Iran, Turkey and the Syrian President Assad had all agreed to hold talks in Astana

The US Secretary of State John Kerry has said that the United States is encouraging Syria peace talks being prepared by Russia later this month in the Kazakhstan capital Astana. The US hopes that the talks succeed in building peace in Syria, he said. "We're encouraging a meeting in Astana. We hope that could produce a step forward," Kerry told reporters during his final news conference at the State Department. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on December 26 that Russia, Iran, Turkey and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had all agreed to hold the talks in Astana although no date has been set. Kerry said he had talked to UN Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, and the objective remained "to get to Geneva where the real meat of the talks is going to take place." But Kerry said a December 30 ceasefire brokered by Russia and Turkey had run into difficulties with numerous violations. "The fighting is continuing, it`s difficult and the Assad regime seems to be playing the same card that it was playing previously," he said. After several failed ceasefire attempts brokered by Kerry and Lavrov, the United States remained out of the latest Syrian talks. It is unclear whether the United States will attend the Astana talks. Russia and Iran both back Assad, but Turkey, a NATO member, has long made clear it would prefer that Assad step down. Ankara, however, has moderated its rhetoric on Assad in recent months and Lavrov said all three countries agreed the priority was to fight terrorism rather than to remove the Syrian leader. (Reuters)

Secretary of State Kerry: US encouraging Russia-sponsored Astana peace talks

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