CIA director defends consultation with Russians

washington - CIA director Mike Pompeo has defended the habit of organizing meetings with Russian espionage bosses. The Russian ambassador said this week that Sergei Narisjkin, the chief of the foreign intelligence service, visited the US for consultations. It is on the list of persons against whom Washington has taken sanctions.

'We regularly meet our Russian colleagues for the same reason as our predecessors, for the sake of the safety of the Americans,' said Pompeo in a letter to Chuck Schumer, the president of the Democrats in the Senate.

According to him there is nothing 'unbecoming' about this exchange of ideas. 'We deal with very difficult issues in which the American and Russian interests are not aligned. We defend America vigorously and do not hold us back. We will never do that. '