Russia Urges US to Stop Manipulating Excerpts from Classified Documents

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova wrote on her Facebook page Washington should stop manipulating excerpts from classified documents from various meetings.

News ID: 71653

Date: 09 August 2018 - 16:29

TEHRAN (Defapress)- "Before calling on other countries to behave ‘properly’ and respect international law, the US could set an example and stop manipulating excerpts from classified documents and meetings, including non-existent ones," she noted, commenting on a report by Politico on certain disarmament proposals, which were allegedly made by Russia at the Helsinki summit, TASS reported.

According to Zakharova, such leaks "from the American side occur regularly, approximately once a month".

"What Russian meddling in the US election one can talk about, if the United States is unable to keep even the content of the president’s negotiations secret?" the diplomat noted.

In her view, "if the US special services had at least some evidence in favor of the ‘Russian connection’, it would be leaked immediately".

"Why interfere in the elections in the country, which leaks classified information even without meddling, hackers and special agents of foreign intelligence services?" Zakharova stressed.

On Tuesday, Politico reported citing a Russian document obtained by it that Russian President Vladimir Putin allegedly presented his US counterpart Donald Trump with "a series of requests during their private meeting in Helsinki last month, including new talks on controlling nuclear arms and prohibiting weapons in space". According to Politico, the Russian document "proposes a five-year extension for the so-called New START Treaty limiting nuclear arms".

Putin and Trump held their first full-fledged meeting in Helsinki on July 16. The two leaders’ private meeting lasted slightly over two hours, after which they were joined by members of delegations. The two presidents discussed bilateral and global issues stressing after the meeting that a big step forward had been taken.

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