Trump & Putin Speak On Phone, President Doesn’t Bring Up Russian Bounties On U.S. Troops Report

President Donald Trump spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin over the phone on Thursday about the coronavirus pandemic, arms control agreements and global matters.

“President Trump and President Putin discussed efforts to defeat the coronavirus pandemic while continuing to reopen global economies,” White House spokesman Judd Deere said in a statement Thursday afternoon.

“The two leaders also discussed critical bilateral and global issues. President Trump reiterated his hope of avoiding an expensive three-way arms race between China, Russia, and the United States and looked forward to progress on upcoming arms control negotiations in Vienna,” Deere said.

The Kremlin said in a statement that the two leaders discussed “strategic stability and arms control,” Iran’s nuclear program, the coronavirus and economic cooperation between the two country’s capitals.

The call comes days after the U.S., U.K. and Canada accused Moscow of trying to hack coronavirus vaccine research. It also marks the first time the two leaders have conversed since a New York Times investigation revealed Russia was paying bounties to Taliban insurgents for killing U.S. troops – a topic that was reportedly not broached in Thursday’s call.

“Donald Trump said at the White House briefing that he spoke to Vladimir Putin today and somehow the president was not asked about intelligence reports that Vladimir Putin has been paying to kill American soldiers in Afghanistan,” MSNBC’s Kyle Griffin tweeted.

Per CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany would not say whether the two leaders discussed the bounties and if Trump addressed Russian interference in this year’s election.

“The nation’s top counterintelligence official issued an update today saying Russia, China & Iran are working to interfere in the American democratic process,” she tweeted. “Kayleigh McEnany won’t say yes or no whether President Trump brought that up during yesterday’s call with Vladimir Putin.”

She added: “McEnany says she wasn’t on the call. (Senior officials are usually read out on what was said when they’re not.) McEnany also doesn’t say whether the intel about Russian bounties was brought up either.”

Article by Katherine Huggins