Russia's top diplomat on Wednesday appeared to joke about President Trump's firing of FBI Director James Comey during a visit to the State Department.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson introduced Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during the Washington visit.

"I want to welcome foreign minister Lavrov to the state department and express my appreciation for him making the trip to Washington so that we can continue our dialogue and our exchange of views that began in Moscow," Tillerson said.

A reporter asked whether the firing of Comey "cast a shadow" over the talks.

"Was he fired?" Lavrov said in response. "You are kidding, you are kidding."

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Trump on Tuesday fired Comey, who had been leading the investigation into potential ties between members of the Trump campaign and Russia.

The move sent the political world into a frenzy, sparking outrage from Democrats, who said Trump was attempting to shut down the FBI’s investigation.

Lavrov is scheduled to meet with Trump in the Oval Office later Wednesday.