PTI, Washington :
US President Donald Trump today spoke over phone with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to peacefully resolving the Syrian civil war, the White House said.
During the lengthy conversation, the two leaders also discussed jointly fighting terrorist groups in the Middle East, including ISIS and Al-Qaeda, and the Taliban in other parts, it said.
“We had a great call with President Putin. We’re talking about peace in Syria, very important. We’re talking about North Korea. We had a call that lasted almost an hour and a half,” President Trump told reporters before boarding Marine One on the White House lawns.
“We’re talking very strongly about bringing peace for Syria. We’re talking very strongly about North Korea and Ukraine,” he said.
Both presidents supported the UN-led Geneva Process to peacefully resolve the Syrian civil war, end the humanitarian crisis, allow displaced Syrians to return home, and ensure the stability of a unified Syria free of malign intervention and terrorist safe havens, the White House said in a readout of the call.
“The two presidents affirmed the importance of fighting terrorism together throughout the Middle East and Central Asia and agreed to explore ways to further cooperate in the fight against ISIS, Al-Qaeda, the Taliban, and other terrorist organisations,” it said.
According to the White House, Mr Trump and Mr Putin also discussed how to implement a lasting peace in Ukraine, and the need to continue international pressure on North Korea to halt its nuclear weapon and missile programs.
Mr Trump and Mr Putin spoke informally several times last week when they attended a summit in Vietnam. They agreed on a number of principles for the future of war-torn Syria.
President Trump spoke over phone with the Russian president, a day after Mr Putin met with Syrian President Bashar Assad. Mr Putin hosted the Syrian president at a Black Sea resort ahead of a summit later this week with Russia, Turkey and Iran.
The Kremlin said yesterday that Mr Assad was called to Russia to get him to agree to potential peace initiatives drafted by Russia, Iran and Turkey.
TASS adds: The presidents expressed satisfaction with the conversation that the Kremlin press service called “businesslike and meaningful”.
“Putin stressed readiness to facilitate a durable political settlement process in Syria on the basis of the UN Security Council’s Resolution 2254 in the spirit of agreements reached in the Astana format and provisions of the Joint Statement the two Presidents endorsed on November 11 at the APEC summit in Vietnam,” the report said.
“The sides stated among other things that the statement had produced an encouraging reaction in the Middle East,” it said.
The interlocutors also mentioned the importance of maintaining Syria’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity. This should be done in the groundwork of principles to be mapped out in the course of pan-Syrian negotiations and Russia’s initiative for convening the Syrian National Dialogue Congress in Sochi later this year targets exactly this objective, it said.
Putin informed Trump on the results of the November 20 meeting with President Bashar al-Assad, in the course of which the Syrian leader confirmed commitment to the political process, the constitutional reform, presidential and parliamentary election.
In addition to it, emphasis was made on the trilateral talks that the Presidents of Russia, Iran and Turkey are supposed to hold in Sochi on November 22. The three Vladimir Putin, Tayyip Recept Erdogan, and Hassan Rouhani plan to coordinate step towards further normalization in Syria, the press service said.
On a broader plane, Putin once again spoke in favor launching further efforts together with the U.S. to rebuff terrorism. The Russian President noted practical importance of coordinated steps between the two countries’ intelligence services and Trump supported him.
The presidents also discussed the situation around North Korea, Afghanistan and Iran’s nuclear program, the Kremlin press service reports.
US President Donald Trump today spoke over phone with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to peacefully resolving the Syrian civil war, the White House said.
During the lengthy conversation, the two leaders also discussed jointly fighting terrorist groups in the Middle East, including ISIS and Al-Qaeda, and the Taliban in other parts, it said.
“We had a great call with President Putin. We’re talking about peace in Syria, very important. We’re talking about North Korea. We had a call that lasted almost an hour and a half,” President Trump told reporters before boarding Marine One on the White House lawns.
“We’re talking very strongly about bringing peace for Syria. We’re talking very strongly about North Korea and Ukraine,” he said.
Both presidents supported the UN-led Geneva Process to peacefully resolve the Syrian civil war, end the humanitarian crisis, allow displaced Syrians to return home, and ensure the stability of a unified Syria free of malign intervention and terrorist safe havens, the White House said in a readout of the call.
“The two presidents affirmed the importance of fighting terrorism together throughout the Middle East and Central Asia and agreed to explore ways to further cooperate in the fight against ISIS, Al-Qaeda, the Taliban, and other terrorist organisations,” it said.
According to the White House, Mr Trump and Mr Putin also discussed how to implement a lasting peace in Ukraine, and the need to continue international pressure on North Korea to halt its nuclear weapon and missile programs.
Mr Trump and Mr Putin spoke informally several times last week when they attended a summit in Vietnam. They agreed on a number of principles for the future of war-torn Syria.
President Trump spoke over phone with the Russian president, a day after Mr Putin met with Syrian President Bashar Assad. Mr Putin hosted the Syrian president at a Black Sea resort ahead of a summit later this week with Russia, Turkey and Iran.
The Kremlin said yesterday that Mr Assad was called to Russia to get him to agree to potential peace initiatives drafted by Russia, Iran and Turkey.
TASS adds: The presidents expressed satisfaction with the conversation that the Kremlin press service called “businesslike and meaningful”.
“Putin stressed readiness to facilitate a durable political settlement process in Syria on the basis of the UN Security Council’s Resolution 2254 in the spirit of agreements reached in the Astana format and provisions of the Joint Statement the two Presidents endorsed on November 11 at the APEC summit in Vietnam,” the report said.
“The sides stated among other things that the statement had produced an encouraging reaction in the Middle East,” it said.
The interlocutors also mentioned the importance of maintaining Syria’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity. This should be done in the groundwork of principles to be mapped out in the course of pan-Syrian negotiations and Russia’s initiative for convening the Syrian National Dialogue Congress in Sochi later this year targets exactly this objective, it said.
Putin informed Trump on the results of the November 20 meeting with President Bashar al-Assad, in the course of which the Syrian leader confirmed commitment to the political process, the constitutional reform, presidential and parliamentary election.
In addition to it, emphasis was made on the trilateral talks that the Presidents of Russia, Iran and Turkey are supposed to hold in Sochi on November 22. The three Vladimir Putin, Tayyip Recept Erdogan, and Hassan Rouhani plan to coordinate step towards further normalization in Syria, the press service said.
On a broader plane, Putin once again spoke in favor launching further efforts together with the U.S. to rebuff terrorism. The Russian President noted practical importance of coordinated steps between the two countries’ intelligence services and Trump supported him.
The presidents also discussed the situation around North Korea, Afghanistan and Iran’s nuclear program, the Kremlin press service reports.
