Putin and Trump talk

Putin, Trump speak by phone, discuss Syria, N. Korea – Kremlin

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart, Donald Trump, held a phone call in which they have agreed to cooperate on promoting diplomatic progress in dealing with tensions on the Korean peninsula and in Syria, according to the Kremlin.

“Vladimir Putin has called for restraint and decreasing of the level of tensions” on the Korean peninsula, the statement said. “It has been agreed to work jointly on a diplomatic solution that will settle the crisis.”

Putin and Trump have spoken about coordinating Russia’s and US efforts aimed against terrorism in Syria, the statement adds

US to send senior MidEast diplomat to Syria talks in Astana after Putin-Trump call

Washington is dispatching a top State Department official as the US representative at the new round of intra-Syrian talks in Astana that kick off Wednesday. The move follows a call between US and Russian leaders, in which they discussed de-escalation in Syria.