President Trump
Donald John TrumpTrump says he would feel comfortable sending his son and grandchildren to school in person. Cafeteria worker on White House grounds tests positive for COVID-19: Reports Republicans will begin revealing the coronavirus package Thursday MORE spoke to the Russian president Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich PutinChina needs to play directly into the new START nuclear treaty Watchdog Report: UK government’s ‘underrated’ threat of Russian interference Biden promises to fight foreign interference efforts if elected MORE by phone Thursday, discussing the new coronavirus, arms control negotiations and other matters.
The call marked Trump’s first phone conversation with Putin since last month, and comes days after the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada accused Moscow of trying to hack the coronavirus vaccine investigation.
The phone call is also Trump’s first with Putin since the explosive New York Times report on a U.S. intelligence assessment that Russia offered rewards to Taliban insurgents for launching attacks on U.S. troops in Afghanistan. The White House, which has disputed elements of the Times account, did not specify whether any issues arose during the call.
“President Trump and President Putin discussed efforts to defeat the coronavirus pandemic while world economies continue to reopen,” White House spokesman Judd Deere said in a statement Thursday afternoon.
“The two leaders also discussed critical bilateral and global issues. 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, “Deere said.
The Kremlin said in a statement that the two leaders discussed “strategic stability and arms control,” Iran’s nuclear program, the coronavirus, and economic cooperation between Washington and Moscow.
US and Russian officials held arms control talks in Vienna in June about a proposed trilateral treaty involving the two new nations and China, although Beijing has so far rejected calls to join the negotiations. The Trump administration is pushing for a new agreement to replace the New START Treaty, which will expire in February.
Trump last spoke to Putin in early June about plans for this year’s Group of 7 (G-7) summit to be held in the US Trump has asked that Russia be invited to the summit, although other G-7 leaders have rejected the idea.
Trump postponed the meeting until at least September due to the coronavirus, and it is not known what form it will ultimately take.
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