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(CNN)The first month of a US presidency is usually one of optimism — a fresh face with a clean slate appoints a Cabinet and maps out a vision for the next four years.
But US President Donald Trump’s first few weeks have been overshadowed by mounting Russia-related problems, which came to a head Monday when the President’s top security adviser, Michael Flynn, resigned. Flynn stood down after it became public that he had misled Vice President Mike Pence over his phone calls with a Russian diplomat
Here’s a rundown of the latest Russia issues that just won’t leave Trump alone.
THE DOSSIER
The Trump administration and the Kremlin have already found themselves in back-and-forth commentary over Russia’s annexation of Crimea.
As scrutiny over the Trump administration’s ties to Russia grows, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said Tuesday that Trump had on the contrary been “incredibly tough on Russia.”
“He continues to raise the issue of Crimea, which the previous administration had allowed to be seized by Russia. His ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, stood before the UN Security Council on her first day and strongly denounced the Russian occupation of Crimea,” he told reporters at a press briefing.
He said that Trump had made it clear he expected the Russian government to “deescalate violence in the Ukraine and return Crimea,” while at the same time pursuing better relations with Russia.
Trump had previously buoyed the Kremlin’s claim on Crimea.
The Kremlin shot back at Spicer’s comments early Wednesday. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Russia was “not returning our territory. Crimea is part of the Russian Federation.”
Russia annexed Crimea, a territory in the former Soviet republic of Ukraine, in March 2014 following tensions with its neighbor. The US, the European Union and several other Western countries placed sanctions on Russia over the annexation.
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