An aide to Russia's deputy prime minister, who was among the first to post a video online containing a bugged phone call between two US diplomats, says neither he nor the Russian government played a role in leaking the tape.
Dmitry Loskutov told The Associated Press by telephone today that he was surfing a social networking website when he came across the video in which the top US diplomat for Europe, Victoria Nuland, disparages the European Union. He said his decision to repost the video had no connection to his work for the Russian government.
US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Moscow's apparent role in publicising the video was "a new low in Russian tradecraft.
