Yet the President did not bring up any of those issues during a telephone chat with Putin, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said. Is it odd that Trump would call to congratulate Putin on his election win? But any interactions between Trump and Putin are closely watched given the special counsel investigation into Russian election meddling. At the time, Sanders said the call did not mean Trump thought it was a fair election, saying: "That wasn't the purpose of the call. Putin's growing appetite for powerThe inconsistency in the Trump administration's approach to Russia adds to uncertainty about how the West will respond to Putin's growing willingness to exercise power beyond his borders.

Source: CNN March 21, 2018 05:03 UTC