Story highlights Ex-Russian envoy denies discussing sanctions with US counterparts

Michael Flynn resigned as national security adviser over controversy about earlier talks with Sergey Kislyak

(CNN) Russia's former ambassador to the United States said Saturday that his conversations with Michael Flynn -- who was forced to resign as US national security adviser amid a controversy over those talks -- were only about "simple things" with "no secrets."

Sergey Kislyak also said in his interview with state-run broadcaster Russia 24 that he did not discuss sanctions with his US counterparts, an assertion that doesn't appear to mesh with reports that US spy agencies found Kislyak had such talks with Flynn

"Just simple things," Kislyak, who ended his service as ambassador in July , said when he was asked what he and Flynn discussed. "There are a few topics that are important to US-Russia cooperation."

"First of all, it's terrorism," Kislyak said. "This was one of the topic we discussed. This conversation was proper, calm and absolutely transparent. There were no secrets, at least on our side."

When pressed about the talks' contents, Kislyak said: "I didn't come here to testify."

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