US President Donald Trump has defended his “absolute right” to share information with Russia, following a row over classified material.
Mr Trump tweeted that he had shared “facts pertaining to terrorism and airline safety” and wanted Russia to do more against so-called Islamic State.
He met Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in the Oval Office last week.
US media said Mr Trump had shared material that was passed on by a partner which had not given permission.
In his tweet early on Tuesday, Mr Trump said: “As President I wanted to share with Russia (at an openly scheduled W.H. meeting) which I have the absolute right to do, facts pertaining to terrorism and airline flight safety.
“Humanitarian reasons, plus I want Russia to greatly step up their fight against [IS] & terrorism.”
A report in the Washington Post said Trump had confided top secret information relating to an IS plot thought to centre on the use of laptop computers on aircraft.
Trump’s move is not illegal, as the US president has the authority to declassify information.
However, the action drew strong criticism from Democrats and a call for an explanation from his own Republican party.
Trump’s alleged indiscretion is particularly noteworthy after he spent much of the presidential campaign criticising Hillary Clinton for her use of a private email server while secretary of state.
The breach of security protocol by the president comes against the backdrop of persistent calls for an independent counsel to oversee an investigation into the way Russia mounted an extensive cyber warfare operation to influence the election.
