Russia probe 'probably' undermines U.S. ties with Moscow: White House

[December 01, 2018]    BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - The probe into potential collusion between U.S. President Donald Trump's presidential campaign and Moscow is probably undermining U.S. ties with Russia, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said on Friday, but she denied it was the reason Trump canceled his planned G20 meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders holds a press briefing at the White House in Washington, U.S., November 27, 2018. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

Sanders disparaged Mueller's investigation as the "Russian Witch Hunt Hoax" in a statement and added "unfortunately, it probably does undermine our relationship with Russia."

"However, the reason for our canceled meeting is Ukraine," she said.

Separately, a White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, denied a report that Trump planned a "pull-aside" meeting with Putin at the G20 after canceling plans for a longer bilateral.

(Writing by David Alexander; Editing by Tim Ahmann)

[© 2018 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2018 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.  Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.