MOSCOW—President Donald Trump called Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday to congratulate him on his re-election to a fourth term, and they discussed arranging a meeting against the backdrop of heightened tensions between their two nations over election meddling. Trump ignored a shouted question in the Oval Office on whether he raised the poisoning in the call with Putin. The White House had said Monday that it was “not surprised by the outcome” of Sunday’s presidential election in Russia and that no congratulatory call was planned. Trump continues to grapple with the shadow of the ongoing investigation into whether his campaign colluded with Russian officials during the 2016 election. Last month, special counsel Robert Mueller indicted 13 Russian individuals and three organizations on charges of interfering in the election.

Source: thestar March 20, 2018 17:47 UTC