Russia Says There's Truth to Woodward's COVID Test Claim

But it denies that Trump, Putin have spoken since Trump left office
By Kate Seamons,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 9, 2024 8:30 AM CDT
Kremlin Confirms Trump, Putin Exchanged COVID Equipment
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks during an ABC News presidential debate with Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris at the National Constitution Center, Tuesday, Sept.10, 2024, in Philadelphia.   (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

One of the splashier claims in Bob Woodward's new book is accurate, per the Kremlin, though it shot down a second one. The book, War, asserts that former President Trump and Vladimir Putin have spoken by phone as many as seven times since Trump left office and that Trump secretly shipped Putin COVID tests in 2020 for his personal use. The latest:

  • Kremlin rep Dmitry Peskov said in a written statement to Bloomberg News on Wednesday that then-President Trump did send COVID testing devices to Putin, though he added, "we also sent equipment at the beginning of the pandemic."

  • Indeed, Politico points out it "was already known" that the US and Russia exchanged medical equipment during the pandemic; it links to an April 2020 CNN article reporting a Russian An-124 cargo plane had landed in New York to deliver ventilators, personal protective equipment, and other COVID-related supplies. A State Department rep said at the time that the goods were not a gift but rather had been purchased by the US.
  • When asked by a Russian news outlet about the alleged phone calls, Peskov denied they occurred, saying, "No, it's not like that," per ABC News.
  • Trump, for his part, continued to dispute Woodward's claims, telling ABC News' Jonathan Karl. "He's a storyteller. A bad one. And he's lost his marbles."
(More President Trump stories.)

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