Trump Refuses to Say if Russian Bounty Allegations Were Discussed With Putin During Call

US President Donald Trump refused to answer a reporter's question on Monday about disputed reports that Russian agents had paid bounties to Taliban fighters to kill US soldiers in Afghanistan.

"We don't talk about what was discussed, but we had plenty of discussion, and I think it was very productive," Trump said in response to a question about the allegations made by the New York Times last month. The question came during a press conference at the Bioprocess Innovation Center in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina.

On July 24, Trump shared a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin in which the two leaders discussed arms control as well as the international situation surrounding Iran, which the Trump administration has been putting "maximum pressure" on in a bid to change its foreign policy.

The New York Times reported late last month that US intelligence reports pointed to Russian agents offering cash payments to Taliban fighters in Afghanistan if they killed US soldiers. While the accusation produced wide condemnation by the president's political adversaries in Congress, virtually every party has denied the veracity of the allegations - including US intelligence agencies and senior Pentagon brass.