Sergey Lavrov urged the US to release Mary Butina
The Minister of foreign Affairs of Russia Sergey Lavrov during a telephone conversation with U.S. Secretary of state Mike Pompeo called for the release of the prisoner in Washington the Russian Maria Butina. This was reported on the foreign Ministry website.
“Lavrov stressed the inadmissibility of actions of the American authorities, arrested in the US on the basis of fabricated charges Russian citizen Butina”, — stated in the message.
The foreign Ministry noted that a telephone conversation Lavrov and Pompeo took place on Saturday at the initiative of the American side. The Ministers exchanged views on the prospects of further development of relations between the US and Russia, reported the Agency. Pompeo and Lavrov also discussed the situation in Syria and the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
About the detention of Butynol became known on Monday, July 16. She is accused under two articles: “the conspiracy of the foreign agent without registration” and “working as a foreign agent without registering”. Butinai faces up to 10 years in prison.
According to the U.S. Department of justice, Butina “worked in the interests of the senior representative of the Russian government, which later occupied a high post in the Central Bank of Russia”. His name is not known, but it is noted that the representative of the Russian authorities in April 2018 has been included in the sanctions list of the U.S. Treasury. This officer could be the Chairman of the Central Bank Alexander Torshin, write Reuters and The Washington Post.