Donald Trump warns Russia not to meddle in US election 2020

The US President Donald Trump warned Russia against any attempts to meddle next year's presidential election, the White House said on Tuesday, but Russia's foreign minister denied any such issue arriving at the meet in Washington. 

"President Trump warned against any Russian attempts to interfere in United States elections," White House spokesman Judd Deere said in a statement after the US president's meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. 

Immediately after the meeting, Lavrov told reporters that he is not aware of the communication by the White House, and said: "We haven't even actually discussed elections."

US intelligence discovered that Russia, among other means, manipulated social media to sway the 2016 election in Trump's favour. 

Trump has denounced such claims in the past and is stressing on an alternative theory of Ukraine meddling in the 2016 election, an accusation outrightly rejected by US Intelligence. 

Lavrov also said that Russia wanted to publish US-Russian communications that he said cleared Russia of allegations it meddles 2016 election, but the US had blocked the release. 

In the bilateral meeting, the Russian foreign minister also stressed on Moscow's offer of extending US-Russia START treaty, however, Trump and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, emphasized on a strategic dialogue involving China.

The meeting came on the day when the Democrats declared two impeachment charges against the US president, accusing him of abuse of power by pressuring Ukraine to investigate his democratic rival and obstructing the subsequent Congress investigation.  

Pompeo said that the Trump administration will always work for maintaining the integrity of the US elections. 

"Should Russia or any foreign actor take steps to undermine our democratic processes, we will take action in response," Pompeo added. 

(with inputs from Reuters and AFP)