Kremlin denies contact between Trump and Putin after former left office

A day after it was reported that former US President Donald Trump had multiple calls, as many as seven, with Russian leader Vladimir Putin after leaving office, the Kremlin has issued a denial. The reports cited veteran journalist Bob Woodward's upcoming book titled, ‘War’.

Asked if Putin and Trump had any correspondence after the latter left the office, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said: "No, that's not true,”

In his upcoming book, ‘War’, Woodward describes an incident where an aide was ordered out of the office at Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s Florida residence, so he could have a private call with Putin, according to the Washington Post’s book summary.

The book, notably, does not elaborate on what the two world leaders discussed, and also quotes a Trump campaign official as saying that the supposed contact had not taken place in reality.

Woodward cited an unnamed Trump aide to say that Trump may have spoken with the Russian leader as many as seven times since Trump lost the White House to President Joe Biden in 2021.

The allegations have been denied by Trump’s campaign, which has also dismissed Woodward’s book and said the material in the book is "made-up", the New York Times reported.

The allegations have underscored the questions being raised about Trump’s relationship with leaders like Putin and Kim Jong-un, whom the former president has hailed as great leaders in the past and has refrained from criticising.

The news, true or not, has come at a crucial time as the former president is entangled in a close presidential race with US Vice President Kamala Harris, and could have repercussions when the US goes to cast its vote on November 5.