Cordial Talks Between Trump and Putin; Two Will Meet Soon

Leaders agree on importance of limiting arms race

US relations with Russia have been suffering in recent months, but may be making a turn for the better. President Trump called Russian President Vladimir Putin to congratulate him on a decisive election victory over the weekend, and the two seemed to get on quite well.

All indications are that the talks were quite positive, and indeed that the two leaders discussed an array of topics on which the US and Russia could cooperate. Perhaps most importantly, the two both agreed on the importance of avoiding an arms race.

The two also discussed Ukraine, Syria, and North Korea, and agreed to meet soon. While meetings between US and Russian presidents used to be very common, mounting tensions have made them rare indeed, especially for high-ranking officials.

Russia’s Sputnik reported the conversation in-line with Western outlets, but also offered more details, saying the two were very focused on improving bilateral relations, and that Russia appeared quite positive on the US agreeing to talks with North Korea.

After years of mounting tensions, obviously not everything was a source of agreement for the two nations. The fact that the talks happened at all, however, and that they by all indications were positive, is a very good sign.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.