Trump says to meet with Putin in "not too distant future"

3/21/2018 - 5:58:34 PM

US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday (March 20) that he will probably meet Russian President Vladimir Putin who won Sunday's election in a landslide victory "in the not too distant future."

US President Donald Trump (R) shakes hands with Russia's President Vladimir Putin during their bilateral meeting at the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany July 7, 2017. (Photo:Reuters)

"I had a call with President Putin and congratulated him on the victory," Trump told reporters at the White House before his meeting with visiting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud.

"The call had to do also with the fact that we will probably get together in the not too distant future," Trump added.

Trump said that they could discuss the arms race between Washington and Moscow and also talk about issues including Ukraine, Syria and the Korean Peninsula.

The White House said in a statement that Trump and Putin in their phone call earlier on Tuesday discussed the bilateral relations, resolving to continue dialogue about mutual national security priorities and challenges.

During the phone call, Trump also emphasized the importance of denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula, according to the statement.

The Kremlin said Tuesday's conversation had been broadly constructive and focused on overcoming problems in relations.

The White House later said there were no specific plans for a meeting.

Putin was re-elected Russian president for the fourth time in a landslide victory on March 18, garnering more than 76 percent of the vote.

Source: NDO

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