Trump calls Putin to 'congratulate' him on re-election


President Trump spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin by phone Tuesday morning, congratulating Putin on his electoral victory over the weekend. In a statement, the Kremlin said Trump called to "congratulate" Putin on his win, calling the conversation "constructive" and "businesslike."
Putin won re-election Sunday, apparently with more than 75 percent of the vote, though "videos of ballot-stuffing at polling stations across Russia surfaced throughout the day," The Washington Post reports. Critics have dismissed the election as a "charade," the Post adds.
The White House on Monday had denied there was a call between Trump and Putin scheduled for Tuesday, CNN's Kaitlan Collins noted. It has yet to release its own readout of the call. In 2012, when Putin began his second stint in office, former President Barack Obama called to congratulate him on his victory. Kimberly Alters
The Week
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Update 1:09 p.m. ET: The White House released its readout of the call, which you can read here.
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Kimberly Alters is the news editor at TheWeek.com. She is a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
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