National security adviser H.R. McMaster on Tuesday denied that President Donald Trump is being manipulated by Vladimir Putin, saying that confronting "Russia's destabilizing behavior" is a top priority for Trump.
During an interview with "CBS This Morning," McMaster was asked to address comments by former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper on Monday night that Putin "knows how to handle an asset, and that's what he's doing with the president."
"Well it's just not true," McMaster told CBS.
"As the president made clear in his national security strategy and in his speech that he's going to stand up for America no matter who threatens America," McMaster said, adding that at the top of the list is confronting "Russia's destabilizing behavior."
"In Europe, in the Middle East, in our own country where they use a sophisticated approach to propaganda and disinformation, where they try to polarize communities within democratic societies and pit them against each other. … We're going to confront that destabilizing behavior," McMaster told CBS.
McMaster went to say that Russia and the U.S. are on the same page when it comes to North Korea, and that the two countries will continue to work together to find resolution.
"The president did ask President Putin to do more. He wants all nations to do more and it just doesn't make sense that Russia would increase trade and alleviate any pressure on the North Korean regime," McMaster said, detailing a phone call between Trump and Putin on Sunday.
"What the president has asked us to do with Russia though as well is make sure we can deter conflict," McMaster said.
"Russia and the United States should cooperate on North Korea. There's no way that a nuclear armed North Korea is in Russia's interest and the President made that clear to President Putin on the phone call," McMaster said.