The White House said President Donald Trump warned Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov against election meddling on Tuesday during their meeting, which was closed off to the press.
According to the White House’s readout of the meeting, Trump “warned against any Russian attempts to interfere in United States elections” and “urged Russia to resolve the conflict with Ukraine.”
“Just had a very good meeting with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and representatives of Russia,” Trump tweeted. “Discussed many items including Trade, Iran, North Korea, INF Treaty, Nuclear Arms Control, and Election Meddling.”
Just had a very good meeting with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and representatives of Russia. Discussed many items including Trade, Iran, North Korea, INF Treaty, Nuclear Arms Control, and Election Meddling. Look forward to continuing our dialogue in the near future! pic.twitter.com/tHecH9a9ck
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 10, 2019
In a press conference at the Russian embassy later in the day, Lavrov confirmed that he and Trump had discussed election interference. However, the Russian official’s account seemed to indicate that he was the one who brought up the issue.
“I told [Trump] that the state secretary mentioned this issue publicly,” Lavrov said when a reporter asked if they had discussed election meddling, according to a translator.
