(VOA) U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by telephone Tuesday, their first such conversation since Russia condemned a U.S. military attack against Syria last month in response to a nerve gas attack launched on civilians by Syrian forces.
The two leaders discussed the civil war in Syria, as well as the situation with North Korea, according to the White House, which described the conversation as "a very good one."
Kremlin officials, quoted by Russian media, termed the call "businesslike and constructive." […]
"The call seems to have been positive," professor Henry Hale of George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs told VOA. "I'm glad Trump and Putin appear to have agreed on how to disagree on Syria, first and foremost minimizing the chances of an unfortunate direct military conflict between the U.S. and Russia, which could have terrible consequences."
Hale, who is co-director of the Program on New Approaches to Research and Security (PONARS) in Eurasia, noted, "It is important simply to maintain channels of communication between Washington and Moscow. In that light, the announced American participation in the Astana talks will also be a positive." […]
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