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Lavrov vows to continue doing utmost to bring Butina back home

The diplomat slammed all charges brought against Maria Butina as fabricated

BAKU, December 14. /TASS/. Moscow will continue making every possible effort to bring Russian national Maria Butina, arrested in the United States, back home as soon as possible, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Friday.

"We will continue to do everything possible to protect the rights of our citizen and bring her back home as soon as possible," he stressed.

Butina case

Butina, 30, was arrested in Washington DC on July 15, right before the Helsinki meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump.

Read also

Butina pleads guilty, agrees to cooperate with investigation

The US Department of Justice said that she was suspected of acting "as an agent of Russia inside the United States by developing relationships with US persons and infiltrating organizations having influence in American politics, for the purpose of advancing the interests of the Russian Federation."

On July 21, Lavrov demanded in a telephone conversation with US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo that Butina be released as soon as possible. He also slammed all charges brought against her as fabricated.

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