Brits Fears Trump May Accept Russia’s Invitation to Victory Day Celebration

Dec. 30, 2019 (EIRNS)—Russian President Vladimir Putin made a phone call to U.S. President Donald Trump over the weekend to thank him for sharing intelligence that helped stop a terrorist attack in St. Petersburg. A spokesman for Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) provided a few details in comments to TASS on Dec. 29: “On the basis of information provided earlier by the American partners, Russia’s Federal Security Service on Dec. 27 detained two Russian nationals who had planned to commit terror attacks in places of mass gathering in St. Petersburg during the New Year holidays.”

In its coverage, RT reported that

“in October, the head of FSB, Aleksandr Bortnikov, revealed that contacts between the security agencies of the two countries have intensified recently, in cybersecurity and other areas. He said then that the U.S. provided information about people who had been planning terrorist attacks in Russia. Two years ago, Washington warned Moscow about a planned bombing at one of the main cathedrals in St. Petersburg, while Russia actively assisted the U.S. investigation into the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013.”

BBC coverage of the Putin-Trump call ended on a worried note about where this might lead. U.S.-Russia ties “were further strained when U.S. intelligence agencies concluded that the Kremlin had interfered in the 2016 Presidential election. Despite this, President Trump and President Putin have appeared to be on good terms personally—and they have vowed to cooperate on terrorism. Mr. Trump has indicated he is considering attending the Victory Day celebrations in Moscow next May, after an invitation from the Russian leader.”