US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke on the phone yesterday after ISIS-inspired terror attacks against the city of St. Petersburg were thwarted by Russia’s Federal Security Service using intelligence provided by the CIA.
According to a statement from the Kremlin, Putin thanked Trump for the CIA’s information on the attacks, which were to take place on Saturday at the Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg and other areas of the Russian city. The Federal Security Service said that seven members of a terror cell had been detained for their involvement in the plot, and that a significant amount of explosives, weapons and extremist literature were confiscated.
Vladimir Putin assured Donald Trump that the Russian intelligence services upon receipt of information relating to terrorist threats against the US and its citizens, will immediately transmit to its American colleagues in partner channels, the statement added.
Russian state-run media outlet TASS reported that Moscow initiated the call.
In a readout of the call released yesterday afternoon, the White House said Trump appreciated the call and stressed the importance of intelligence cooperation to defeat terrorists wherever they may be. Both leaders agreed that this serves as an example of the positive things that can occur when the countries work together, the readout said.
