In December, Flynn had telephone conversations with Kislyak in which he discussed sanctions that the Obama administration had recently imposed on Russia to punish Moscow for its interference in the 2016 presidential election.

Flynn denied to Vice President Mike Pence and other officials that he had discussed the sanctions with Kislyak.

Kislyak also was reported to have met with Trump's Attorney General Jeff Sessions twice in 2016, events that Sessions did not disclose when asked during his confirmation hearings whether he had met with the Russian government.