Putin phones Trump to discuss the future of Syria
President Trump received a telephone call Tuesday morning from Russian President Vladimir Putin. The call followed a rare meeting between Putin and Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad as the Kremlin seeks a diplomatic resolution to the civil war in Syria.
According to Russia’s state-run television network RT, Putin informed Trump of the working meeting with Assad which took place on Monday in the resort town of Sochi.
The call between Trump and Putin lasted for more than an hour.
“Both the parties expressed satisfaction with the phone call, which was practical and informative, according to a statement from the Kremlin.
White House sources tell ABC News that other items on the agenda included Iran, North Korea, and the situation Ukraine. Trump and Putin most recently spoke earlier this month as the leaders met informally at an economic summit in Vietnam.
Prior to the call with the US President, Putin indicated that Moscow would also work other leaders in the region, including the Qatari Emeir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.
The trilateral talks are scheduled to take place on Wednesday, November 22, according to RT.
Conversations between the Washington and Moscow have received heightened scrutiny since the 2016 election in which Russia interfered by using propaganda to tip the scale in Donald Trump’s favor.
To date, Trump has yet to acknowledge Russia’s meddling in the election. Relations were already strained during the Obama administration due to the Putin’s defense of Assad in his Syria’s five-year-long civil war.
During the conversation with President Trump, the Kremlin statement says that Putin called for coordination of anti-terror efforts with the U.S. in Afghanistan.
Earlier this month, while in Vietnam, Trump and Putin released a joint statement reaffirming the leaders’ commitment to defeat ISIS in Syria.