Lavrov dismisses 'speculation' about Russian meddling in US domestic politics

US President Donald Trump met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday at the White House, and discussed issues such as arms control.

During the meeting, Trump warned Russia not to interfere in US elections, while Lavrov rejected any speculation about Russian interference in US domestic politics.

"President Trump warned against any Russian attempts to interfere in United States elections," the White House said in a statement.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also issued similar warnings to Russia during a joint news conference with Lavrov after the meeting.

"I was clear that it is unacceptable and I made our expectations of Russia clear. The Trump administration will always work to protect the integrity of our elections," said Pompeo.

"Should Russia or any foreign actor take steps to undermine our democratic processes, we will take action in response," he added.

Meanwhile, Reuters said that US intelligence agencies had concluded that the Russian state had meddled in the 2016 US presidential election campaign, and a number of Russian citizens and entities were charged by then US special counsel Robert Mueller.

The top Russian diplomat, however, rejected US accusations of Russian meddling in US domestic politics.

"We have highlighted once again that all speculation about our alleged interference in the domestic processes in the United States are baseless; there are no facts that would support that," Lavrov said.

Lavrov once again dismissed the US accusation that Moscow tried to sway the 2016 US presidential election, which resulted in the victory of Trump.

"We suggested to our colleagues that in order to dispel all suspicions, let us publish this channel of correspondence starting from October 2016 until November 2017, so it would all become very clear to many people," Lavrov said.

According to Xinhua News Agency, Lavrov and Pompeo discussed a wide range of issues on Tuesday, but little of substance was achieved given the overall frosty bilateral ties.

Separately, Lavrov called on both countries to announce the extension of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, or New START, to avoid a vacuum in the arms control sphere.

The treaty was signed in 2010 between the United States and Russia, and the New START requires each country to cut their nuclear warhead numbers to 1,550 by Feb 5, 2018, and reduce the number of delivery vehicles, including missiles and bombers, to 700-800.

However, ignoring Lavrov's offer, Pompeo insisted during the joint news conference that a broader arms control dialogue should be conducted, which put the New START's fate at risk.

The treaty is set to expire in February 2021. And Russian President Vladimir Putin said last week that Russia is ready to extend the treaty by the end of this year with no preconditions.