The Kremlin confirmed that former U.S. President Donald Trump while in office sent Russian President Vladimir Putin COVID-19 testing devices during the height of the pandemic, as recounted in a new book by journalist Bob Woodward.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday that the tests had been sent, but denied the book’s claim that the two leaders had spoken by phone several times since Trump left office.
“We also sent equipment at the beginning of the pandemic,” Peskov said in a written response when asked about the book. “But about the phone calls—it’s not true.”
The book from the renowned journalist of Watergate fame reports that Trump, while President in 2020, secretly sent Putin Abbott COVID-19 testing machines when the devices were scarce, according to CNN.
In a statement earlier Tuesday, the Trump campaign pushed back on the book’s allegations, saying “none of these made up stories by Bob Woodward are true” and accusing the journalist of bias.