Video of alleged handover of money by Russian military officer to Serbian public official is provocation ahead of top-level meeting - Russian Foreign Ministry

MOSCOW. Nov 21 (Interfax) - The video recording of an alleged handover of money by a Russian military officer to a Serbian public official is a provocation ahead of the top-level meeting, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said.

"We are currently anticipating some top-level contacts. We have become accustomed to seeing somewhere, a week or a few days before top-level or high-level contacts, some interesting stories emerging, stories advertised like sensations. Then, after some time passes, all such things are either disavowed or prove botched together provocations," Zakharova told reporters at a press briefing on Thursday.

"It seems to me that all matters raising concern with a country, a government, they're handled via appropriate channels. And this particular thing should be regarded as a provocative story," she said.