Former President Donald Trump did ship coronavirus testing units to Russian President Vladimir Putin on the top of the pandemic, the Kremlin confirmed Wednesday.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov advised Bloomberg News in a written assertion that “we additionally despatched tools in the beginning of the pandemic.”
The story was initially reported in “War,” a brand new e-book by veteran Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward, which stories on Trump and President Joe Biden’s relationships with international leaders.
The e-book claims that Trump secretly despatched Abbott Covid-19 testing units to Putin when the machines had been briefly provide. NBC News has not been in a position to independently confirm this.
Peskov additionally denied Woodward’s declare that Trump and Putin have spoken on the phone a number of instances since Trump left workplace. “No, that’s not true,” he advised Russian outlet RBC.
Trump additionally denied the reporting in an interview with ABC News’ Jonathan Karl. “He’s a storyteller. A foul one. And he’s misplaced his marbles,” Trump mentioned of Woodward.
In a separate assertion to Bloomberg, Trump’s re-election crew accused the journalist of bias and mentioned “none of those made up tales by Bob Woodward are true.”
The e-book, which is ready to be revealed Oct. 15, raises questions on how Trump would deal with the struggle in Ukraine if re-elected and whether or not he would proceed to supply help to the nation.
Trump has repeatedly mentioned he may settle the struggle between Russia and Ukraine in in the future if he’s elected president once more. But when he was requested about this declare in July, Russia’s ambassador to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzia advised reporters that “the Ukrainian disaster can’t be solved in in the future.”
The Republican nominee mentioned final month that his relationship with Putin is “excellent.” He mentioned the identical of his ties to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy when the 2 met at Trump Tower final month.
As a non-public citizen, Trump would want the sitting president’s specific permission to barter on behalf of the U.S. authorities.
Woodward says within the e-book that senior adviser Jason Miller advised him in July that he was “not conscious” of any conversations between Trump and Putin, however ought to they want to converse, “they’d know the right way to get in contact with one another.”
Trump’s critics have lengthy taken situation together with his coziness with authoritarian leaders, together with Putin. Trump has referred to Putin as “very savvy” and a “robust man,” and praised Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as “genius.”