DONALD Trump and Vladimir Putin spoke for more than an hour yesterday, with the phone conversation covering nuclear weapons agreements, the conflict in Venezuela, North Korea and special counsel Robert Mueller’s report on Moscow’s interference in the 2016 US election.
“They had a very good discussion. Spoke for a little over an hour,” White House press secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters. “They discussed nuclear agreements, both new and extended, with the possibility of having conversations with China on that front as well.”
“There was a discussion about ... extending the current nuclear agreement, as well as discussions about potentially starting a new one that could include China as well,” she said.
She did not specify which treaty. The current strategic nuclear arms treaty expires in 2021.
Sanders said the US and Russian presidents also discussed trade and how it has increased between the two countries since Trump became US president. They also talked about Ukraine and North
Korea. “They spoke about North Korea for a good bit of time on the call, and reiterated both the commitment and the need for denuclearisation, and the president said several times on this front, as well, the need and importance of Russia stepping up and continuing to help and put pressure on North Korea to denuclearise,” she said. North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un travelled to Russia last week to meet Putin.
Sanders said Putin and Trump talked “very, very briefly” about the Mueller report, but she dodged a question about whether they had discussed Russian election interference, instead blaming the Obama administration for not doing enough to stop it before the 2016 election.
Asked about a meeting at the Pentagon regarding the situation in Venezuela, she reiterated the US stance that “all options continue to be on the table”.
Moscow is helping to prop up the embattled government of Nicolas Maduro, which the US wants to see toppled. “We’re looking at a number of different fronts,” she said about Venezuela.
“I don’t have any new announcements or change in direction. We continue to stand with the people of Venezuela and the president is continuing to push for aid to be delivered to those people.
“Beyond that I don’t have any updates, but all options continue to be on the table. The president’s going to do what is required, if necessary.”
The Kremlin confirmed the two leaders talked and said the call was initiated by Washington.
It said the two leaders agreed to maintain contacts on different levels and expressed satisfaction with the “businesslike and constructive nature” of the conversation.
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