Russian Spy Maria Butina Missing From Pompeo-Lavrov Call Statement, Unlike Russia's Version

In a readout of the call between Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov by the Department of State, there was no mention of any discussion regarding Maria Butina, the alleged Russian spy who was arrested last week.

"Among the topics discussed was the fact that Russia had violated its commitment in southwest Syria" the statement read. "The two also discussed how to implement ideas on counterterrorism process coordination and the mutual goal of establishing business-to-business dialogue between private, non-governmentally controlled entities in each of our two countries. The need for Russia to provide equal diplomatic access to the United States, at a level that is fair and reciprocal, was also discussed. "

The absence of any mention of Butina seemed conspicuous, especially after Russia’s foreign ministry said in a statement Saturday that Lavrov had complained about the suspected Russian spy being arrested on “fabricated charges” and urged Pompeo to arrange her release as soon as possible.

Butina, 29, came to the United States in 2016 on a student visa to study at American University in Washington. However, prosecutors have accused her of operating under a façade from the moment she stepped on America soil, in order to carry out her true motives — being a foreign spy.

However, Butina’s lawyer, Robert Driscoll, defended his client in an interview with Fox News, following Lavrov’s call with Pompeo, rubbishing claims that she was a spy.

"She's a young woman, who is 29 years old, who just graduated from American [University] with a master's, and she's being held without bond in a D.C. jail on a FARA [Foreign Agents Registration Act] registration charge, and a lot of people look at a young woman like that, and think of their kids," Driscoll said.

"Maria has nothing to do with the 12 Russians who were indicted, she has nothing to do with the [Special Counsel Robert] Mueller probe," he added. "They haven't pointed to anything she did that would be remotely spy-like. Spies don't communicate by Twitter direct message."

He also said in the interview all the government had on Butina was a technicality.

"They haven't charged her with being a Russian agent," Driscoll said. "Everything she's done, according to the government, would be legal if she had filed a piece of paper with the attorney general."

On the fact that the Russian foreign ministry was trying everything in their power to get Butina released – including launching a social media campaign under #FreeMariaButina – Driscoll said Kremlin does not want his client “back” but simply “out” of prison.

Butina was reportedly dating political activist Paul Erickson and was getting ready to move in with her boyfriend in a South Dakota house when federal agents took her into custody last week. She was also accused of attempting to infiltrate multiple organizations in the U.S. at the direction of an unnamed senior Kremlin official.

The 29-year-old had pleaded not guilty to the charges against her. However, she was ordered to be held in prison after prosecutors voiced their concern regarding her being a flight risk.