U.S. actions against alleged Russian agent Maria Butina are inadmissible, according to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
Lavrov has insisted on Butina’s quick release in a phone conversation with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
“Lavrov has pointed out that the steps of U.S. administration, which arrested Russian citizen Butina in the United States basing on trumped-up charges, are inadmissible and that she should be released as soon as possible,” a statement from the Russian Foreign Ministry reads.
Butina, 29, was charged this week for conspiracy against the U.S. and acting as an unregistered foreign agent of the Russian government. She has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
In court documents filed before Butina’s appearance Wednesday in Washington, D.C., federal prosecutors alleged she was connected to high-profile members of the NRA, and was in regular contact with the FSB, the Russian intelligence agency that replaced the Soviet-era KGB.
[Also read: Alleged Russian agent Maria Butina met with US officials during the Obama administration: Report]
