Putin Thanks Trump for CIA Warning That Thwarted Bomb Plot
(Bloomberg) —
Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke with Donald Trump for the second time in four days, this time to thank the president for Central Intelligence Agency information that lead to the breakup of a suspected Islamic State cell.
The information helped disrupt a group that had been planning to blow up Kazan Cathedral and other locations around St. Petersburg, according to a Kremlin statement on Sunday. White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders confirmed the conversation on Twitter and in a statement.
Russia’s Federal Security Service, or FSB, arrested seven suspected followers of the Islamic State who were planning a suicide bombing and other attacks in Russia’s second-largest city, the security agency said on its website Friday.
Trump told Putin he appreciated the call and stressed the importance of international cooperation in intelligence matters, the White House said in its readout of the conversation. Putin also thanked the CIA, and Trump called Director Mike Pompeo following his conversation with Putin to congratulate him, the White House said.
“Both leaders agreed that this serves as an example of the positive things that can occur when our countries work together,” the White House said in the readout.
Russia initiated Sunday’s conversation. The previous call, on Dec. 14, was made by Washington. Trump used it to thank Putin for “acknowledging America’s strong economic performance” during the Russian leader’s annual press conference earlier in the day. They talked about North Korea’s nuclear weapons program, as well as other bilateral issues, according to the Kremlin.
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