It’s now being reported via an aide to Vladimir Putin that he’s been officially invited to the White House by President Trump:
BREAKING: Kremlin: Trump invited Putin to White House, but no date set. https://t.co/jZTUfXCa70
— The Associated Press (@AP) April 2, 2018
Here’s more:
AP – An aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin says U.S. President Donald Trump has invited the Russian leader to the White House, but the two countries haven’t started any preparations for such a visit.
Trump and Putin had a telephone conversation on March 20 in which Trump congratulated Putin on winning the Russian presidential election two days earlier. The White House and the Kremlin said at the time the two presidents discussed meeting in person.
Putin aide Yuri Ushakov told Russian news agencies on Monday that Trump specifically invited Putin to the White House during the call.
Ushakov added that their governments didn’t have time to start arranging a meeting before the United States joined Britain and more than two dozen allies in sanctioning Russia over the nerve-agent poisoning of a Russian ex-spy in England.
I’m pretty sure inviting Putin to the White House is several magnitudes of order worse than congratulating him on his sham election victory.
Assuming the Kremlin is telling the truth…
UPDATE:
White House has responded, saying there is some truth to it…
White House @PressSec Sanders reacts to Kremlin announcement: in their recent phone call, Trump and Putin "discussed a bilateral meeting in the ‘not-too-distant future’ at a number of potential venues, including the White House."
— Philip Crowther (@PhilipinDC) April 2, 2018
https://twitter.com/LauraLitvan/status/980814534746300416
In response to Russian news reports that President Trump will invite Vladimir Putin to the White House, press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders reaffirmed that such a meeting is under consideration.
— NPR (@NPR) April 2, 2018