US officials widely view the report as authoritative, but its details are open to interpretation, according to a source familiar with the intelligence. Although the request was made at a time when Russian President Vladimir Putin was in Beijing for the opening ceremony of the Olympics – where he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping – it is not clear from the report whether Putin has taken up the matter with Xi directly, the source said.
“The allegations mentioned in the relevant reports are baseless speculation and are aimed at shifting blame and discrediting China,” said Liu Bingyu, a spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Washington.
CNN has reached out to the Russian Embassy in Washington for comment.
This story has been updated with additional details.
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