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Lavrov says had no idea about Russian compromising materials on Trump

According to the Russian diplomat, it is rather US Special Counsel Robert Mueller who "is trying to dig" such compromising material

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov Mikhail Metzel/TASS

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov

© Mikhail Metzel/TASS

MOSCOW, June 29. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said it’s a news for him to hear that Moscow has any sort of compromising material on US President Donald Trump.

"I hear this for the first time that we have compromising material on Donald Trump," he said in an interview with the UK’s Channel 4 on Friday when asked whether it helps Moscow in dealing with Trump that many people think that Russia has compromising material on him.

According to the Russian diplomat, it is rather US Special Counsel Robert Mueller who "is trying to dig" such compromising material to prove Russia’s meddling with the US presidential elections in 2016. In this context, the Russian minister confessed he had "stopped reading news from this investigation."

Lavrov added that the topic of Russia’s alleged interference into presidential elections in the United States was used to ruin relations between the two nations.

"When Rex Tillerson was Secretary of State, he once stated publicly that they have undeniable proof. And then during our contact I said, ‘Rex, can you give this undeniable proof to us because we don’t understand what’s going on, maybe this is something we can explain.’ He said, ‘Well, we cannot give it to you, we cannot compromise sources and, besides, your special services, your security people know everything. Ask them,’" he told the UK’s television Channel 4. "Is it the way to handle serious things?"

"It is a matter, which is used to ruin the Russian-American relations. And to answer the way which he did I believe it’s not mature, it’s very childish," he said. "I believe that what is being done in the context of the Russiagate in the United States, as President Putin has repeatedly said, is manifestation of deep domestic controversy because the losers don’t have the guts to accept they lost the elections."

Mueller launched his ‘Russiagate’ investigation a year ago, in May 2017. To date, charges have been brought against 19 individuals, including five Americans, 13 Russian citizens and one Dutch national.

US President Donald Trump and his aides have repeatedly rejected allegations of any illegitimate contacts with Russian officials during his 2016 election campaign. Moscow has likewise refuted allegations about attempts to influence the US presidential election on numerous occasions.

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