Putin thanks Trump for tip helping thwart potential ‘terrorist attack’

Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked President Trump in a phone call on Sunday for giving him intelligence that helped stop a terror attack in Russia.

“Yesterday, President Vladimir Putin of Russia called President Donald J. Trump to thank him for information the United States provided that helped foil a potential holiday terrorist attack in Russia,” White House deputy press secretary Hogan Gidley said in a statement Monday morning about the call.

“Both Presidents committed to continuing counterterrorism cooperation between the two countries. The Presidents also discussed the state of relations between the United States and Russia and future efforts to support effective arms control,” Gidley added.

Reuters, which reported the call on Sunday, said the information was sent through special services without any additional details. 

The Kremlin added that Trump and Putin will continue working together to combat terrorism and discussed a “set of issues of mutual interest” on the call, Voice of America reported.

The Russian president recently defended Trump, saying at his annual news conference earlier this month that the House’s impeachment of the president was “far-fetched.” 

The relationship between Trump and Putin has come under fire throughout the U.S. president’s tenure, with Trump’s and his campaign’s ties to Russia being investigated by the FBI. Republican lawmakers have called into question the legitimacy of that investigation, and several agencies have looked into the FBI’s justification for an examination.

Updated on Dec. 30 at 4:23 p.m.

Brett Samuels contributed.