President Donald Trump said on May 3 that he had spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the first conversation since special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation report was released.
In several tweets, Trump said he had a “very productive talk” with Putin, where they discussed trade, Venezuela, Ukraine, North Korea, Nuclear Arms Control, and Mueller’s report.
“Had a long and very good conversation with President Putin of Russia. As I have always said, long before the Witch Hunt started, getting along with Russia, China, and everyone is a good thing, not a bad thing. We discussed Trade, Venezuela, Ukraine, North Korea, Nuclear Arms Control and even the ‘Russian Hoax.’ Very productive talk,” Trump wrote.
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders also gave a brief update about the call, saying that the two leaders spoke a little over an hour and had a “very good discussion.”
“They discussed nuclear agreements, both new and extended, with the possibility of having conversations with China on that front as well. They discussed trade and the fact that it has increased between the two countries since the president has come into office. They also talked about North Korea, Ukraine, and Venezuela—overall a very positive conversation and we'll have a more detailed readout coming shortly,” she said.
Sanders told reporters that the Mueller report came up during the call and it was briefly discussed.
“Very, very briefly [it] was discussed, essentially in the context of that it’s over and there was no collusion, which I’m pretty sure both leaders were very well aware of long before this call took place,” Sanders said.
When asked about Venezuela, Sanders said that Trump reiterated a number of times during the call that the focus of the United States is to help the people of that nation.
“The president’s primary focus throughout the call was about helping the people of Venezuela. Making clear that the United States stands with the people of Venezuela. And the importance of making sure those individuals are able to get the food and the water and the medical supplies needed. The president reiterated that sentiment several times throughout the call,” Sanders said.
Meanwhile, she also said that Trump and Putin also “spoke about North Korea for a good bit of time,” where he stressed the importance of denuclearization. She said during the call Trump reiterated the “need and importance of Russia stepping up and continuing to help.”
She added that they were also in preliminary discussions about a potential new nuclear disarmament pact between Russia, the United States, and China.
“There was a discussion about extending current nuclear agreements as well as discussions about possibly starting a new one that could include China as well,” Sanders said.
