President Donald Trump spoke with Vladimir Putin over the phone on Thursday and thanked the Russian leader for lauding U.S. economic performance during his annual press conference, the White House said Thursday evening.

Putin specifically praised Trump’s “quite serious achievements” when it comes to economic growth during the press conference. The Russian leader also dismissed the notion that Russia worked with the Trump campaign to influence the 2016 election.

As special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe intensifies, Trump has continued to deny that his campaign colluded with Russia. The President has also avoided affirming the wide-held belief that Russia was behind the 2016 election hacking, so much so that his aides avoid mentioning it to him, according to the Washington Post.