SOCHI (Russia) • US President Donald Trump received support from an unusual quarter as the latest crisis to hit his administration continued to raise concerns worldwide.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow could provide a transcript of the controversial exchange between Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Mr Trump that has plunged the White House into turmoil. His comments yesterday were the first since Mr Trump was accused of sharing secrets while meeting Mr Lavrov in Washington.

Mr Putin said he was pleased with Mr Lavrov's visit last week, but mocked the idea that Mr Trump had shared secrets, calling the allegations "political schizophrenia", and saying people spreading them were either "dumb" or "corrupt".

Israel, which was the initial source of the intelligence provided to Russia, also appeared to downplay the controversy by emphasising its commitment to continuing security cooperation with Washington.

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