President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke Thursday about the coronavirus pandemic and a possible three-country arms control agreement with China.
“President Trump reiterated his hope of avoiding a costly three-way arms race between China, Russia and the United States and looked forward to advancing the upcoming arms control negotiations in Vienna,” the White House said in a reading.
Leaders last spoke in May with a similar list of topics.
Talks on arms control between the United States and Russia began in late June in Vienna.
Trump wants a big deal that limits rising military costs, including maintaining nuclear weapons stocks.
Although tensions between China and the US are high, as Trump criticizes China for not containing COVID-19, the president has long reflected on a three-nation arms treaty.
Trump launched the idea to Chinese Vice Prime Minister Liu He in the Oval Office last year, asking for his opinion on a new “ridiculous” deal to reduce arms spending. “I think it is a very good idea,” Liu said.
The United States leads the world in diagnosed cases of COVID-19 with approximately 4 million. Russia has the fourth highest number of cases with almost 800,000. The United States and Russia have exchanged medical supplies during the pandemic.
It was unclear if there was a specific push for the call. When Trump and Putin spoke in May, they marked the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe.
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