Russian diplomat: there were contacts with Trump’s campaign

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Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses new ambassadors to Russia after the credential receiving ceremony in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2016. Putin says that Moscow is ready to try to restore good relations with the United States in the wake of the election of Donald Trump. (Sergei Karpukhin/Pool photo via AP)

MOSCOW – A top Russian diplomat says Moscow had contacts with the campaign of Donald Trump ahead of his election as U.S. president.

Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov was quoted as telling the Interfax news agency Thursday that “there were contacts” with influential people in Trump’s circle. “I don’t say that all of them, but a whole array of them, supported contacts with Russian representatives.”

The report did not give further details.

Trump’s relations with Russia were one of the most contentious issues of the campaign, especially in light of his favourable remarks about President Vladimir Putin as a strong leader, and persistent contention by his opponents that Russia was responsible for hackers purloining Emails from the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton’s campaign staff.

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