Larry King Presses Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov on Mueller Indictments in Marathon Interview

Larry King pressed Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov over the latest indictment in Special Counsel Robert Mueller‘s probe — which charged 12 Russian intelligence officials with meddling in the 2016 campaign.

King, who hosts Politicking on Russia’s state-funded cable news outlet RT, had on Lavrov for a half-hour long interview in the wake of the indictments. The interview also came ahead of President Donald Trump‘s highly-anticipated meeting in Helsinki with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Lavrov, naturally, cast doubt on the investigation, first dismissing its conclusions as “nothing new,” and “inertia by the Cold War thinking.”

“I can’t agree that this was a report done by the entire American intelligence community,” he said, adding that one report conducted by the U.S. on Russian meddling “showed inefficiencies and inaccuracies and inconsistencies.”

Lavrov contended that U.S. reports Russia interferes in elections make “assertions,” but contain “no single fact.”

“So you deny any Russian involvement?” King pressed.

Lavrov replied that Putin has repeatedly denied that Russia interfered in the U.S. election.

Lavrov also confirmed that the meeting between Trump and Putin will be one-on-one, with only two translators in the room with them. He told King that was requested by the U.S., and the Russians obliged because they are “polite.”

King asked what he would consider a success from the summit, and Lavrov said, “the ideal outcome would be to agree. To engage all the channels on all the issues which are divisive.”

He added that he expects Trump and Putin to discuss Syria and North Korea.

Lavrov also brought up allegations Russia poisoned former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia, which he dismissed as a politically-motivated smear on his country.

“Now this is becoming contagious I believe and highly likely thing and the assertion that there is no other credible explanation is becoming a rule on which the Western friends try to base their policy on Russia,” he said.

[image via screengrab]

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