WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump could meet with Vladimir Putin's top diplomat at the White House on Wednesday, a U.S. official and a person with knowledge of the plans said, describing what would be the highest level, face-to-face contact with Russia of the American leader's young presidency. It would also signal that the two countries have improved ties that Trump recently described as being at an "all-time low." A Russian plan to stabilize Syria after more than six years of civil war is the most urgent foreign policy topic on the agenda. Trump on Tuesday abruptly fired FBI Director James Comey, dramatically ousting the nation's top law enforcement official in the midst of the bureau's investigation into Trump's ties with Russia. In a Senate hearing Monday, former acting Attorney General Sally Yates said she bluntly warned Trump's White House in January that Flynn "essentially could be blackmailed" by the Russians because he apparently had lied to his bosses about his contacts with Kislyak.

Source: Philippine Star May 09, 2017 23:03 UTC