Putin Discusses Trump’s ‘Connection’ to Russia
Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that there has been no private communication between him and Donald Trump. Read Full Article at RT.com
TroibNews 
Russian President Vladimir Putin has dismissed media reports suggesting he has been in contact with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.
This comes in response to a recent book by American journalist Bob Woodward, which claims that Trump secretly spoke to Putin seven times after his presidency ended in 2021.
During a news conference following the 16th BRICS Summit in Kazan, NBC journalist Keir Simmons inquired about any private discussions between Putin and Trump. Putin responded, “This issue has been making headlines for years now. At one point, Mr Trump and Russia were accused of being connected,” and added, “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. There were no contacts back then, and there are none now.”
In the wake of Trump’s victory in the 2016 presidential election, US intelligence officials alleged Russian interference aimed at damaging Hillary Clinton's campaign while bolstering Trump's candidacy. Nevertheless, a protracted investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller determined that “did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government.”
In a Fox News interview last week, Trump suggested that the collusion narrative was a tool wielded by his political adversaries to rationalize Clinton's defeat. He remarked, “That started off as an excuse for why she lost an election that a lot of people thought she should have won,” and continued, “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,” he added.
Moscow has previously emphasized its readiness to collaborate with whichever leader the American public selects in the upcoming November election.
On Thursday, Putin reiterated his openness to reestablishing relations with the US, contingent upon Washington's willingness to reciprocate. He stated, “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. If not, so be it. This is up to the future administration.”
Aarav Patel contributed to this report for TROIB News
This comes in response to a recent book by American journalist Bob Woodward, which claims that Trump secretly spoke to Putin seven times after his presidency ended in 2021.
During a news conference following the 16th BRICS Summit in Kazan, NBC journalist Keir Simmons inquired about any private discussions between Putin and Trump. Putin responded, “This issue has been making headlines for years now. At one point, Mr Trump and Russia were accused of being connected,” and added, “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. There were no contacts back then, and there are none now.”
In the wake of Trump’s victory in the 2016 presidential election, US intelligence officials alleged Russian interference aimed at damaging Hillary Clinton's campaign while bolstering Trump's candidacy. Nevertheless, a protracted investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller determined that “did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government.”
In a Fox News interview last week, Trump suggested that the collusion narrative was a tool wielded by his political adversaries to rationalize Clinton's defeat. He remarked, “That started off as an excuse for why she lost an election that a lot of people thought she should have won,” and continued, “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,” he added.
Moscow has previously emphasized its readiness to collaborate with whichever leader the American public selects in the upcoming November election.
On Thursday, Putin reiterated his openness to reestablishing relations with the US, contingent upon Washington's willingness to reciprocate. He stated, “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. If not, so be it. This is up to the future administration.”
Aarav Patel contributed to this report for TROIB News
