Reuters / Ludovic Marin
The Kremlin has voiced its doubts that Donald Trump canceled his scheduled meeting with Vladimir Putin for his stated reason of the crisis in Ukraine—with Russia’s foreign ministry hinting the real reason was because of the crisis consuming the White House. Trump was dealt a severe blow Thursday when his former attorney Michael Cohen admitted lying to Congress about pursuing a deal to build a Trump property in Moscow during the 2016 election. Later Thursday, he abruptly canceled his Putin meeting, saying it was “based on the fact that the ships and sailors have not been returned to Ukraine from Russia.” However, Russia has its doubts. Foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Friday: “Is the provocation started by Kiev in this area (Azov Sea) a real reason for the cancellation? We heard that as an official version and we accepted that. Is it a real one? I believe we should look for answers in the U.S. domestic political situation.”