US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo testifies before a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing titled "An Update on American Diplomacy to Advance Our National Security Strategy" on Capitol Hill in Washington, July 25, 2018. Reuters/Aaron Bernstein
Washington: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday that he had personally warned Russian officials to abstain from interference in US elections, as he faced a grilling on Capitol Hill about Donald Trump's summit with Vladimir Putin.
"In Helsinki, we sought to explore whether Russia was interested in improving the relationship, but made clear that the ball is in Russia's court," Pompeo told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
"We defended America's fundamental strategic interests in Syria and Ukraine, and I personally made clear to the Russians that there will be severe consequences for interference in our democratic processes."
