The Kremlin has addressed claims Donald Trump despatched COVID testing machines to Vladimir Putin in the course of the pandemic.
The previous US president despatched the machines to the Russian chief for “his personal use” because the virus started to unfold in 2020, the veteran US journalist Bob Woodward claims in his guide Battle, based on US media.
Within the guide, it was claimed Mr Putin advised Mr Trump to not inform anybody else as a result of folks could be indignant, however he mentioned he did not care if anybody knew. The guide mentioned Mr Trump finally agreed to not inform anybody.
He additionally quoted an unnamed aide to Mr Trump as saying he and Mr Putin might have spoken as many as seven instances since Mr Trump left the White Home in 2021.
Requested concerning the claims, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov mentioned: “As for the calls, that is a lie.
“There were no calls, and they did not hold phone calls after Trump ceased to be president.”
However he added: “As for the tests, when the pandemic began, countries did not have enough equipment.
“And plenty of international locations then exchanged such gestures of assist and despatched one another shipments of assorted gear that they had.”
Please use Chrome browser for a extra accessible video participant
0:41
Trump marks 7 October anniversary
Earlier reviews mentioned Mr Trump’s administration despatched ventilators and different gear to Russia and likewise obtained medical gear.
“We sent a batch of artificial respiration devices, and several test devices came from America,” Mr Peskov mentioned.
“The first testers worked very poorly.”
He added: “It was a common practice at that time to exchange such support.”
Talking to CBS, Mr Woodward mentioned the exams had been valuable belongings at a time when COVID was “running wild” worldwide.
Trump marketing campaign dismisses claims
Mr Trump’s marketing campaign has dismissed the claims in Mr Woodward’s guide, saying: “None of these made-up stories by Bob Woodward are true.”
Requested why exams had been despatched to Russia in the course of the pandemic, Vice President Kamala Harris advised the Howard Stern present: “Everybody was scrambling to get these kits, these COVID test kits, and this guy, who’s president of the United States, is sending them to Russia, this murderous dictator, for his personal use?”
Joe Biden’s administration would have critical issues if the reviews Mr Trump spoke with Mr Putin had been correct, White Home spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre mentioned.
She mentioned she couldn’t verify whether or not the calls occurred.
