Story highlights Photographer urges US journalists "not to lose their professional dignity"

Former officials -- and spies -- questioned the security arrangements

(CNN) The Russian photographer invited to shoot a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has reacted to outrage from media outlets and the administration, saying: "Honestly, this is nonsense to me."

Alexandr Scherbak, who shot the meeting for Russian state news agency TASS, posted a lengthy message on Facebook urging US journalists "not to lose their professional dignity."

The White House blocked US reporters from photographing the meeting, opting to allow only White House and a sole Russian photographer to capture images of the leaders' interactions.

Scherbak said his post -- addressed to US media -- was prompted by "this hysteria around my photo shoot at the White House." Outlets from the New York Times to Newsweek and Quartz reported the perceived snub to US-based media.

He further asked US media "not to pin the blame on other people for their failure in organizing the photo shoot and the failure to provide access to their media."