Putin Claims Trump Has No Ties to Russia
Russian President Vladimir Putin has stated that he has not had any private communication with Donald Trump. Read Full Article at RT.com
TroibNews 
Russian President Vladimir Putin has rejected media claims that he has maintained contact with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.
Recently, a book by American journalist Bob Woodward suggested that the former president had secretly conversed with Putin seven times since leaving office in 2021.
During a news conference following the 16th BRICS Summit in Kazan on Thursday, NBC journalist Keir Simmons inquired if Putin had engaged in private discussions with Trump.
“This issue has been making headlines for years now. At one point, Mr Trump and Russia were accused of being connected,” Putin stated. “However, after an investigation conducted in the United States, everyone, including the US Congress, concluded that it was utter nonsense and that nothing of the kind had ever happened,” he emphasized. “There were no contacts back then, and there are none now.”
Two months post-Trump's victory in the 2016 presidential election, US intelligence officials alleged that Russia interfered with the voting process, adversely affecting Hillary Clinton’s campaign while supporting Trump. Nevertheless, a lengthy investigation led by Special Counsel Robert Mueller ultimately “did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government.”
In a recent Fox News interview, Trump remarked that the collusion accusations were exploited by his political opponents as a rationale for Clinton’s defeat. “That started off as an excuse for why she lost an election that a lot of people thought she should have won,” he noted, asserting that “then she got beaten everywhere, virtually.”
“Then they said, ‘Ah, it was Russia,’ they used it as an excuse, and then the fake news picked it up,” Trump added.
Moscow has previously stated its commitment to working with whichever leader the American populace elects in the upcoming November election.
On Thursday, Putin reiterated his willingness to normalize relations with the US, contingent on Washington’s receptiveness.
“Russia-US relations after the elections depend primarily on the United States. If the United States is open to building normal relations with Russia, we will do the same,” he asserted. “If not, so be it. This is up to the future administration.”
Ian Smith contributed to this report for TROIB News
Recently, a book by American journalist Bob Woodward suggested that the former president had secretly conversed with Putin seven times since leaving office in 2021.
During a news conference following the 16th BRICS Summit in Kazan on Thursday, NBC journalist Keir Simmons inquired if Putin had engaged in private discussions with Trump.
“This issue has been making headlines for years now. At one point, Mr Trump and Russia were accused of being connected,” Putin stated. “However, after an investigation conducted in the United States, everyone, including the US Congress, concluded that it was utter nonsense and that nothing of the kind had ever happened,” he emphasized. “There were no contacts back then, and there are none now.”
Two months post-Trump's victory in the 2016 presidential election, US intelligence officials alleged that Russia interfered with the voting process, adversely affecting Hillary Clinton’s campaign while supporting Trump. Nevertheless, a lengthy investigation led by Special Counsel Robert Mueller ultimately “did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government.”
In a recent Fox News interview, Trump remarked that the collusion accusations were exploited by his political opponents as a rationale for Clinton’s defeat. “That started off as an excuse for why she lost an election that a lot of people thought she should have won,” he noted, asserting that “then she got beaten everywhere, virtually.”
“Then they said, ‘Ah, it was Russia,’ they used it as an excuse, and then the fake news picked it up,” Trump added.
Moscow has previously stated its commitment to working with whichever leader the American populace elects in the upcoming November election.
On Thursday, Putin reiterated his willingness to normalize relations with the US, contingent on Washington’s receptiveness.
“Russia-US relations after the elections depend primarily on the United States. If the United States is open to building normal relations with Russia, we will do the same,” he asserted. “If not, so be it. This is up to the future administration.”
Ian Smith contributed to this report for TROIB News
