Russian President Vladimir Putin has waded into the growing row surrounding US President Donald Trump and his links to Russia.

US media say Trump passed on classified information to Russian officials last week, but Putin says this is not the case, reports the BBC.

He said he would release a record of the meeting to the US Congress and Senate if they requested it.

The news comes amid reports Trump tried to influence an investigation into his team's dealings with Russia.

US media have quoted a memo by former FBI director James Comey that reportedly says Trump asked him to drop an inquiry into links between his ex-National Security Adviser Michael Flynn and Moscow.

The fallout from both issues continues to consume the White House. Further reaction is expected throughout the day from Republicans and Democrats alike.

Trump met Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Russian Ambassador Sergei Kislyak at the White House last Wednesday.

The meeting came amid an ongoing FBI inquiry and congressional hearings into possible Russian influence in the 2016 US election.

It also came a day after Trump dismissed Comey from his post.

On Monday, the Washington Post, followed by a number of other US outlets, said Trump gave the Russian officials information relating to the Islamic State group (IS) that could have endangered the source of the information.

The information was reportedly deemed so sensitive it had not been shared with key US partners, let alone Russia, which is allied to US opponents in Syria.

Trump later defended his right to share the information, and his national security adviser HR McMaster said the president's actions were “wholly appropriate”.

On Wednesday, Putin joked that the meeting did not unfold as had been portrayed.

While in charge at the FBI, Comey was heading an investigation into possible Russian influence on the US election.

The Russia story has already claimed one victim - Trump's first national security adviser Michael Flynn, who was fired after misleading the government over his meetings with Kislyak.

The New York Times reported on Tuesday that Comey wrote a memo following a meeting with the president on 14 February, revealing that Trump had asked him to close an investigation into Flynn's actions. He reportedly shared the memo with top FBI associates.

BDST: 2030 HRS, MAY 17, 2017
AP