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Kremlin warns against overestimating authenticity of Bolton’s memoir

According to the spokesman, the Kremlin was in the process of studying the memoir authored by a former senior US administration official, already available on the Internet

© AP Photo/Alex Brandon

MOSCOW, June 23. /TASS/. Russian presidential spokesman, Dmitry Peskov has warned against over-estimating the authenticity of the just-released book authored by the former US presidential national security advisor John Bolton, including that part of it which concerns negotiations with President Vladimir Putin.

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"Don’t overestimate the importance and authenticity of such publications," Peskov remarked.

He said that the Kremlin was in the process of studying the memoir authored by a former senior US administration official, already available on the Internet. At the same time, Peskov stressed that everything written in the book was "Bolton’s version" of the events.

"This degree of frankness is not quite typical of such senior officials in disclosing information that in reality is not meant for sharing with anyone. I’d make a certain reservation that any publication is to be checked after all. We are gradually examining this book," Peskov said.

Asked for a comment on Bolton’s remarks concerning Russian-US negotiations with the Russian president, for instance, those on Ukraine, Peskov said that Bolton might have been or might not have been a witness of the described episodes. "Everything should be assessed in a balanced way. In any case, it is against our rules to narrate the content of conversations between the heads of state that is not meant for the world public at large, so we never make comments," Peskov said.

He also stated he was unable to say anything about Bolton’s claims Putin had used a harsh word while discussing with him in the Kremlin the Islamic State (terrorist organization outlawed in Russia) operating in Syria. "You know, the president is sometimes very explicit and provides exhaustive descriptions of certain important events. I can confirm this, but as for this particular case, I am unable to either confirm or deny it," Peskov said.

US President Donald Trump appointed Bolton his national security advisor in March 2018 only to dismiss him eighteen months later. Bolton’s book entitled The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir, containing some very unfavorable comments on Trump’s policies had been originally scheduled for release in March. Its publication was eventually postponed till June 23.

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