German officials have said they cannot gain a "coherent" picture of how US President-elect Donald Trump's foreign and security policy is shaping up despite meeting with his transition advisers.

Mr Trump has repeatedly praised Russian President Vladimir Putin and nominated people seen as friendly toward Moscow to senior administration posts.

German officials who have held talks with members of his transition team have not been able to figure out his plans, Foreign Ministry spokesman Martin Schaefer said.

Mr Schaefer said: "It ultimately remains the case that there still is no clear, coherent and comprehensive picture of what kind of foreign and security policy the new Trump administration wants to pursue in the world."

Should Mr Trump seek to improve relations with the Kremlin, he could unsettle Germany, whose Chancellor Angela Merkel has supported the extension of European Union sanctions against Russia over its role in the conflict in Ukraine.

US intelligence officials have told Congress that Russia is a “full-scope actor” that poses a “major threat” to the United States, as Mr Trump continues to cast doubt on their conclusion that the Kremlin hacked the Democratic Party to try to influence the presidential election.

Top officials appeared on Capitol Hill on Thursday morning before the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on “Foreign Cyber Threats to the United States”, chaired by Sen John McCain.

CNN anchor calls out Trump team over criticism of Russia allegations

Mr Trump has been critical of the intelligence community’s assessment since it became public in December. He aligned himself with Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, who published the contents of the Democratic National Committee hack, followed by emails from Clinton campaign chair John Podesta in the final months of the election.

In an unprecedented move, the President-elect’s team is reported to have demanded ambassadors appointed by Barack Obama leave their overseas posts by Inauguration Day on 20 January. The decision to provide no grace period for politically appointed ambassadors marks a significant break with decades of tradition.