Trump, Putin Discuss Middle East by phone
The Russian president Vladimir Putin and the US president Trump spoke by phone on Monday.
The Russian president Vladimir Putin and the US president Trump spoke by phone on Monday.
According to the White House, both sides discussed a series of topics ranging from the recent Russian plane crash to North Korea’s nuclear threats.
Among the issues discussed: a potential peace deal between the Palestinians and the Israelis. “President Putin noted that he would meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas later today, and President Trump said that now is the time to work toward an enduring peace agreement,” the White House said.
Trump also “reiterated the importance” of taking more steps to ensure North Korea is denuclearized, the White House added without elaborating.
On the other hand, Mr. Putin noted that situation in the region “is far from what we want to see.” Tass reported.
Meanwhile, Mahmoud Abbas reportedly later told Putin that he would not work with the U.S. “in any form.”
“We state that from now on we refuse to cooperate in any form with the U.S. in its status of a mediator, as we stand against its actions,” Abbas said to Putin, according to a report from Haaretz.
Following Trump’s declaration of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel last year, Mr. Abbas has encouraged Putin to assist in peace talks claiming the U.S. could “no longer play a leading role.”
