Putin Calls Trump to Thank Him for CIA Anti-Terrorism Tip

Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump certainly have been chatty lately. For the second time in a week, the two leaders spoke by phone on Sunday, when Putin called Trump to thank him for a CIA tip that helped prevent a terrorist attack in St. Petersburg, The Washington Post reported.

The two leaders also had spoken on Thursday after Putin delivered an annual four–hour televised press conference in which he “mentioned the booming U.S. stock market as an example of Trump’s successes. The White House said Trump thanked Putin for remarks he made ‘acknowledging America’s strong economic performance.’”

Awwww.

According to Bloomberg, Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) arrested seven people suspected of belonging to an Islamic State cell and planning to carry out a suicide bombing in Russia’s second–largest city, and other activities.

Putin promised to return the favor if Russian intelligence services obtained information about potential terrorist threats to the U.S.

Last week, the FSB said it had arrested several other suspects in Moscow, where they allegedly were plotting a series of suicide bombings over New Year’s, the Associated Press reported.

News reports also say the two leaders spoke about North Korea and other bilateral issues. No word, yet, if they discussed Russia’s meddling in the 2016 U.S. elections or the ongoing investigation of the Trump administration’s links to Russia.