Putin says he could provide recording of Trump-Lavrov meeting

Putin says he could provide recording of Trump-Lavrov meeting
Russia's Vladimir Putin has said he could provide a recording of talks between Donald Trump and Sergei Lavrov as the US president comes under pressure for allegedly sharing top-secret information.
2 min read
The meeting between Trump and Lavrov has landed the US president in trouble [Getty]

President Vladimir Putin has suggested he might provide a recording of the exchange between Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Donald Trump, which has been at the centre of allegations that the US president shared classified intelligence with Russia.

"If the US administration finds it possible, we are ready to provide a recording of the conversation between Lavrov and Trump to the US Congress and Senate," Putin said during a press conference.

He also laughed at the idea that Trump had divulged senstive information to the Russians, saying he could issue a "reprimand" to Lavrov since he hasn't passed on the information.

"(Lavrov) didn't share these secrets with us - neither with me nor with the representatives of the Russian security services. That is very bad of him," Putin said following talks with Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni in Russia.

It follows media reports that Trump passed on classified information to Lavrov during the meeting, allegedly about the Islamic State group.

The White House has refused to say what Trump revealed to the Russian foreign minister, but has denied it was classified information and said it was fitting with the conversation between the two figures.

White House aides refused to say whether the information pertaining to the group's bomb-making capabilities was classified.

But the scandal has engulfed Trump's presidency and could corrode trust among allies on the handling of sensitive intelligence information.

Putin also scoffed at allegations of a special relationship between Russia and the Trump team.

"What else will the people generating such drivel and nonsense think of next?" he said. "They are shaking up their internal politics while using anti-Russian slogans."

"They either don't understand that they are hurting their own country, and then they are simply dumb, or they understand everything and then they are dangerous and corrupt," Putin added.