Trump-Russia row Putin offers to release records of meeting

bbc 

Vladimir Putin has offered to release a record of Russian officials' meeting with Donald Trump, who is alleged to have passed them sensitive information.

US media say Mr Trump passed on classified information last week, but Russia says this is not the case.

Mr Putin said Russian records would be given to the US Congress and Senate if a request was made for them.

The news comes amid reports Mr Trump tried to influence an investigation into his team's links with Russia.

US media have quoted a memo by former FBI director James Comey that reportedly says Mr Trump asked him to drop an inquiry into links between his ex-national security adviser Michael Flynn and Russia.

Issue one: The Russian meeting

Mr Trump met Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Russian Ambassador Sergei Kislyak at the White House last Wednesday.

The meeting came amid an ongoing FBI inquiry and congressional hearings into possible Russian influence in the 2016 US election.

It also came a day after Mr Trump dismissed Mr Comey from his post.

On Monday, the Washington Post, followed by a number of other US outlets, said Mr Trump gave the Russian officials information relating to the Islamic State group (IS) that could have endangered the source of the information.

The information was reportedly deemed so sensitive it had not been shared with key US partners, let alone Russia, which is allied to US opponents in Syria.