President Donald Trump could meet with Vladimir Putin's top diplomat at the White House on Wednesday, a U.S. official and a person with knowledge of the plans said, describing what would be the highest level, face-to-face contact with Russia of the American leader's young presidency. It would also signal that the two countries have improved ties that Trump recently described as being at an ”all-time low."
Trump's talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov would occur after the Russian's meetings earlier in the day with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, the official and the other person told The Associated Press. They weren't authorized to speak publicly on the matter and demanded anonymity. The White House declined a request for confirmation.
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The taint of Russia probes has been impossible for Trump to shake.
Less than a month into Trump's presidency, he fired his national security adviser, Michael Flynn, saying Flynn misled senior administration officials about his pre-inauguration talks with Sergey Kislyak, Russia's ambassador in Washington.
In a Senate hearing Monday, former acting Attorney General Sally Yates said she bluntly warned Trump's White House in January that Flynn ”essentially could be blackmailed" by the Russians because he apparently had lied to his bosses about his contacts with Kislyak.
Trump has said he has no ties to Russia and isn't aware of any involvement by his aides in any Russian election interference. He calls the various investigations a ”hoax" driven by Democrats still bitter that their candidate, Hillary Clinton, was defeated last year.
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Lavrov will be coming to the American capital with a Russian plan to end the violence, after hashing out an agreement with Iran and Turkey last week.
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Despite the lack of clarity, the possibility of a meeting between Trump and Lavrov would in itself be a sign of some progress.
The Russian diplomat hasn't visited Washington at all since 2013, a year before Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region and two years before it intervened militarily in Syria to help Assad remain in power.
Source: https://www.apnews.com/190c006d277c...-may-meet-top-Russian-diplomat-in-White-House
Edit: Now in schedule: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=236307543&postcount=23
Trump's talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov would occur after the Russian's meetings earlier in the day with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, the official and the other person told The Associated Press. They weren't authorized to speak publicly on the matter and demanded anonymity. The White House declined a request for confirmation.
....
The taint of Russia probes has been impossible for Trump to shake.
Less than a month into Trump's presidency, he fired his national security adviser, Michael Flynn, saying Flynn misled senior administration officials about his pre-inauguration talks with Sergey Kislyak, Russia's ambassador in Washington.
In a Senate hearing Monday, former acting Attorney General Sally Yates said she bluntly warned Trump's White House in January that Flynn ”essentially could be blackmailed" by the Russians because he apparently had lied to his bosses about his contacts with Kislyak.
Trump has said he has no ties to Russia and isn't aware of any involvement by his aides in any Russian election interference. He calls the various investigations a ”hoax" driven by Democrats still bitter that their candidate, Hillary Clinton, was defeated last year.
....
Lavrov will be coming to the American capital with a Russian plan to end the violence, after hashing out an agreement with Iran and Turkey last week.
....
Despite the lack of clarity, the possibility of a meeting between Trump and Lavrov would in itself be a sign of some progress.
The Russian diplomat hasn't visited Washington at all since 2013, a year before Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region and two years before it intervened militarily in Syria to help Assad remain in power.
Source: https://www.apnews.com/190c006d277c...-may-meet-top-Russian-diplomat-in-White-House
Edit: Now in schedule: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=236307543&postcount=23
