Russia Seeks Release of Woman Accused of Being Covert Agent
Russia’s foreign minister told Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Saturday that charges against a woman accused of infiltrating American political organizations as a covert Russian agent were “fabricated” and she should be released.
The appeal by the Russian foreign minister, Sergey V. Lavrov, was made in a phone call, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry. The Department of Justice has charged the woman, Maria Butina, with acting as an unregistered agent of Russia while attending conventions of the National Rifle Association and gaining access to conservative circles in an effort to influence powerful Republicans.
Moscow has mounted a vigorous effort on behalf of Ms. Butina. On Thursday, the Foreign Ministry began a social media campaign on its Twitter account, declaring that it was mobilizing a digital “flash mob” to demand her release.
The State Department had no immediate comment on Saturday’s exchange, though it’s unlikely that the United States would suddenly release Ms. Butina. In a detailed indictment, the Justice Department has accused her of engaging in a series of deceptions over a number of years.
The phone conversation on Saturday also touched on what the Russian Foreign Ministry described as efforts to improve conditions in Syria.
The call came after a week in which Moscow seemed to move forward with what officials here said were “agreements” reached at Monday’s summit meeting between President Vladimir V. Putin and President Trump.
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With Mr. Trump slow to offer an account of his closed-door discussion with Mr. Putin, details have instead flowed from Moscow on issues involving the security of Israel and the wars in Syria and Ukraine. The trickle of statements, hints and leaks from Moscow gave the impression that Russian officials were taking the lead in following up on the summit meeting.
Russia’s Defense Ministry, for example, said on Friday that it had sent to the United States a proposal to expand cooperation in Syria beyond military “de-conflicting” — ensuring Russian and American forces do not inadvertently target one another — to include the repatriation of refugees and the financing of reconstruction.
“Progress in this area was enabled by an agreement, reached by the presidents of Russia and the United States, during the meeting in Helsinki,” Gen. Mikhail Mizintsev told journalists in a briefing at the Russian general staff headquarters.
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