Donald Trump has spoken out about the latest twists in the federal probe into Russian electoral interference – but when face to face with reporters on Tuesday, he ignored their questions.<br /><br />Earlier, in a series of tweets the president again denied collusion with the Russians, repeating that the charges against Paul Manafort relate to a period before his involvement with the Trump campaign.<br /><br />He belittled George Papadopoulos as a low level volunteer and a proven liar. His ex-foreign policy adviser has pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about the timing of meetings with alleged go-betweens for Russia.<br /><br />Papadopoulos, who’s said to be cooperating with the investigation, said he was told the Russians possessed dirt on Hillary Clinton and the meetings took place while he was working for Trump.<br /><br />The Associated Press has confirmed the identities of two foreign nationals at the centre of contacts between Russia and Trump’s former adviser.<br /><br />Emails obtained by the news agency show the conversations, cited in court papers, were with Joseph Mifsud left and Ivan Timofeev right, both closely linked to the diplomatic world.<br /><br />The Kremlin has said that the US charges unfairly malign Moscow over accusations that it meddled in last year’s presidential election – something it’s always denied.<br />
