Trump doesn’t bring up Russian bounty scandal or vaccine research hack on call with Putin
President Trump jumped on the phone with Vladimir Putin on Thursday, but apparently didn’t ask the Russian leader about the Kremlin’s alleged plots to kill American soldiers, steal U.S. research on coronavirus vaccines and interfere in November’s election.
Trump, who’s been accused by critics of being too soft on Russia, discussed arms control, “efforts to defeat the coronavirus pandemic” and other “bilateral and global issues” in the chat with Putin, according to a readout from White House spokesman Judd Deere.
An unsigned readout from the Kremlin echoed Deere’s statement and added that “the situation around the Iranian nuclear program” was also touched upon.
Absent from both statements were any mention of U.S. intelligence assessments that Russia’s military intelligence service has allegedly been offering cash bounties to Taliban fighters willing to kill American service members in Afghanistan.
Even though the intelligence findings first came to light on June 26, Trump has yet to comment on them besides thumbing out a handful of tweets calling the damning assessments part of a “hoax” made up by Democrats.
Putin has vociferously denied the allegations, but the intel was credible enough for White House national security adviser Robert O’Brien to say earlier this month that the U.S. prepared retaliatory options against Moscow.
Also absent from the Kremlin and White House readouts were allegations that Russian hackers targeted American, British and Canadian medical groups involved in COVID-19 vaccine developments, likely with the intention of stealing the research. There wasn’t any mention of Russia’s suspected plans to interfere in November’s presidential election to help Trump get reelected, either.
Putin’s government has flatly denied the vaccine and interference allegations as well.
Reached for comment, Deere said he had “nothing to add to the readout.”
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