Kremlin denies Trump, Putin spoke seven times since 2021

MOSCOW

The Kremlin on Wednesday denied a claim in a new book that Republican candidate Donald Trump may have spoken to President Vladimir Putin seven times since he left the White House.

"No, that is not the case," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted by Russian media outlet RBK as saying when asked about the specific claim.

The book "War" by famed reporter Bob Woodward said Trump retains a personal relationship with Putin even as he campaigns for another term.

Woodward cited an unnamed Trump aide who indicated the two may have spoken up to seven times since 2021—despite the U.S. effort to help Ukraine resist Russia's full-scale assault.

In excerpts from the book published Tuesday by The Washington Post, Woodward reported that Trump, while still president, secretly sent Covid test kits to Putin despite a U.S. shortage during the pandemic.

Russia on Wednesday also criticized Democratic White House hopeful Kamala Harris's comments about Putin, saying they revealed "anger and frustration" in Washington.

In an interview broadcast Monday, Harris said that, if elected president, she would not meet with Putin for peace talks if Ukraine was not also represented.

She also reiterated her criticism of Trump's policies on Ukraine, describing them as a "surrender" to Moscow.

"Donald Trump, if he were president, Putin would be sitting in Kyiv right now," she told CBS's "60 Minutes" program.

The Russian embassy in Washington, in a post on social media, criticized Harris's "recent unacceptable statements," without clarifying which ones.

It said Harris's comments showed "frustration and impotence of the ruling circles in Washington."

"Due to their inability of dealing with the Russian Federation and inflicting a 'strategic defeat,' their speech apparatus channels anger and offensive rhetoric," it said.