Trump Claims U.S. Helped Russia Thwart a Terrorist Attack: Putin ‘Called to Thank Me’

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President Donald Trump took to Twitter on Tuesday morning to claim that Russian President Vladimir Putin reached out to him to thank the U.S. for helping stop “a planned terrorist attack” in Russia.

“President Putin of Russia called to thank me and the U.S. for informing them of a planned terrorist attack in the very beautiful city of Saint Petersburg,” the president wrote in a New Year’s Eve post. “They were able to quickly apprehend the suspects, with many lives being saved. Great & important coordination!”

President Putin of Russia called to thank me and the U.S. for informing them of a planned terrorist attack in the very beautiful city of Saint Petersburg. They were able to quickly apprehend the suspects, with many lives being saved. Great & important coordination!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 31, 2019

The U.S. and Russia have long collaborated together on anti-terrorism efforts, including cybersecurity measures, despite the Kremlin’s tampering in the 2016 election by way of hacking the Democratic National Committee’s email servers.

In November, Russia’s State Security Service Director Alexander Bortnikov released a statement announcing that Washington and Moscow are “maintaining working contacts by our experts and special unit heads with the Central Intelligence Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Agency.”

Bortnikov also stated in October that the U.S. assisted in stopping a terrorist attack that would have taken place in Russia, as he commended American intelligence services for providing “information to us about specific people and plans to carry out attacks in our country.”

“We pay them back and provide assistance and support, including by informing our partners of any manifestations or threats we encounter and the information we receive,” he continued.