the russian ministry of foreign affairs claims bitina is a political prisoner of the u.s. type of campaign the russian government is usually the target of. julie: at the time, i guess at the same time, putin is reaching out to the president. i can t imagine what he has to say about this. reporter: the president said president putin wrote a letter to president trump with a christmas meeting. russian president s office said putin stressed that russia/u.s. relations are the most important factor behind ensuring strategic stability and international security and reaffirmed that russia is open to dialogue with the united states on the most extensive agenda. earlier this month, president trump cancelled a formal meeting with the russian president at the g-20 summit. days before, russiaed a seized ukrainian sailors and ships. u.s. and russia have been at odds of russia s backing of the