Putin, Trump talk on the phone about North Korea
Russian President discusses crisis over North Korea's nuclear program in phone call with US counterpart.
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US President Donald Trump (left) and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Photo: Reuters. |
The two Russian and US leaders discussed "the situation in a number of crisis areas, focusing on resolving the nuclear issue on the Korean peninsula" in a phone call on December 14, AFP reported, citing a statement from the Kremlin.
The statement said the two leaders agreed to maintain contact but did not elaborate. White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders confirmed the call.
"President Donald Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Details of the conversation will be released tonight (December 14)," Sanders said.
Tensions on the Korean peninsula are high over Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programs. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said earlier this week that Washington was determined to force Pyongyang to give up its nuclear arsenal but was also willing to "negotiate without preconditions". However, the White House has insisted that there will be no negotiations unless North Korea improves its behavior.
President Putin, at his annual press conference in front of hundreds of reporters in Moscow on December 14, welcomed the US's "realistic understanding" of the crisis. He called on all sides to "stop aggravating the situation" and affirmed that Russia does not recognize North Korea as a nuclear power.
According to VNE
