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Donald Trump spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday for the first time since the publication of a New York Times story alleging that Russia paid rewards to Taliban fighters for killing US troops.
Reports of the conversation suggest Trump did not bring the reward story to Putin.
Judd Deere, a White House spokesman, issued a statement claiming that the men discussed “efforts to defeat the coronavirus pandemic while continuing to reopen global economies.”
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Earlier this month, Russia was accused of trying to hack into the coronavirus vaccine investigation by the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada.
Deere did not say whether or not Trump raised the issue of piracy, but said the leaders discussed preparations for the upcoming discussions on weapons involving China.
“The two leaders also discussed critical bilateral and global issues. President Trump reiterated his hope of avoiding a costly three-way arms race between China, Russia and the United States, and looked forward to advancing the upcoming arms control negotiations in Vienna, “the spokesman said.
A statement issued by the Russian government claimed that the leaders discussed “strategic stability” and “arms control”, as well as the coronavirus, future economic concerns and Iran’s nuclear program.
The president has been criticized by various groups for his reluctance to hold Russia accountable for the alleged rewards plan.
An advertisement produced by Republican neocons “Never Trump” on the Lincoln Project featured a veteran calling Trump a coward for not retaliating against Russia.
VoteVets, a group of veterans opposed to Trump, has been especially critical of the president since the story became known.
“Almost 4 weeks have passed and only silence. Trump spoke to Putin TODAY, ”wrote the Twitter account VoteVets. “Reporters, ask him if he confronted his Russian teacher and asked him about the rewards on the heads of our troops. Ask him if he even cares.
Trump claims that he was never informed about the rewards plan because the threats were never deemed credible enough to warrant his review. At one point the president even referred to the story as a hoax.
Republican lawmakers have argued that there is insufficient evidence that the plan actually occurred to justify a punitive response, and rejected an amendment to the annual defense policy bill that would introduce new sanctions against Russia.
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