Russia says release of Trump-Zelensky call memo indicates risks of talks with Washington
2019-09-30
US President Donald Trump listens during a bilateral meeting with with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York City, New York, US, Sept 25, 2019. [Photo/Agencies]
MOSCOW -- The release of the transcript of a recent phone conversation between US President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky showed the risks of talks with Washington, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Sunday.
The release of the transcript by the United States changed the format of relations between countries, between national leaders and between politicians, Zakharova said in an interview with Russia's TV Channel One, as was quoted by TASS news agency.
She said the negative consequences of the US decision to do so could be serious.
The White House on Wednesday released a memo of the phone call between Trump and Zelensky, which happened on July 25.
The phone call, now under congressional investigation, is at the center of increasingly heightened tensions between Congress and the White House stemming from a whistleblower complaint filed in mid-August by an unidentified intelligence official, which alleged that Trump interacted inappropriately with a foreign leader and made an unspecified "promise."
Trump tweeted after the release of the memo that the Democrats should "apologize" upon seeing the "perfect call."
