13 May, 2017
A photographer for a Russian state-owned news agency was allowed into the Oval Office during US President Donald Trump's meeting with Russian diplomats in a level of access that has been criticised as a potential security breach.
That said, the official also slammed critics who called the meeting with Kislyak inappropriate because it came just one day after Trump fired the person overseeing the FBI's investigation into Russia's interference with the 2016 election.
Trump fired FBI Director James Comey, Tuesday night, in what sources say was partly a direct response to the investigation. Trump said during his election campaign that he sought closer ties with Russian Federation but tensions grew after U.S. air strikes against a Syrian airfield in April in response to a chemical weapons attack that Washington blamed on Assad.
Wednesday morning, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, with Lavrov at his side, made a statement to the press in which the Russian foreign minister brazenly mocked reporters for asking about Comey's firing. Lavrov continued: "You are kidding".
Yesterday may very well have been the single most freakish day of the Donald Trump presidency.
The synopsis also revealed that Trump "raised Ukraine, and expressed his Administration's commitment to remain engaged in resolving the conflict and stressed Russia's responsibility to fully implement the Minsk agreements". Attorney General Jeff Sessions also recused himself of anything related to the Russian Federation investigation after it came out that he, as a USA senator, had met twice with Kislyak in July and September, interactions he did not disclose when asked at his Senate confirmation hearing this year for the attorney general position.
Other officials pointed out that the access given to the photographer could have been a lapse in security, as the standard screening used for White House guests would have not detected a sophisticated spying device. Their discussions centered on ISIS, humanitarian issues in Syria, and the conflict between Russian Federation and Ukraine.
The White House insisted that Trump's meetings Wednesday had been long-planned and nothing further should be read into them, including that they were an attempt to poke a finger in the eyes of Democrats animated over the Russian Federation investigation and Comey's firing. A search for "Oval Office" via Getty Images shows a plethora of photos of President Trump posing for photos with Russian officials, including those credited to Anadolu Agency, out of Turkey. They have also managed to install keyloggers on USA diplomats' typewriters and in one of the most hilariously devious incidents, schoolchildren presented the us ambassador with a bugged wooden plaque. More recently, he has advised Trump on key appointments and praised his leadership.
"The Trump administration, and the president himself, and the secretary of state, I was persuaded of this once again today, are people of action", Lavrov said.
President Donald Trump and Henry Kissinger in the Oval Office.
Of the meeting, Trump said that he and Kissinger talked about Russian Federation "and various other matters", including Syria.
They also tend to avoid photo-ops with representatives of countries accused of interfering in US elections.
