President of the United States Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke over the phone on Thursday about the coronavirus pandemic and a potential three-country arms control deal with China and Iran's nuclear program, the Kremlin and White House said. "President Trump reiterated his hope of avoiding an expensive three-way arms race between China, Russia, and the United States and looked forward to progress on upcoming arms control negotiations in Vienna," the White House said in a readout. The two leaders also expressed a mutual desire to develop trade and economic interaction between Russia and the United States. The presidents "thoroughly considered" various arms control issues "given the special responsibility of Russia and the US for maintaining international peace and security," the Kremlin said. According to the White House, Trump reiterated his hope of avoiding an expensive three-way arms race between China, Russia, and the United States and "looked forward to progress on upcoming arms control negotiations in Vienna." The Kremlin's readout of the call said the parties reaffirmed "the timeliness of bilateral consultations" on arms control issues, including the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty. They also "touched upon" the situation with Iran's nuclear program, the Kremlin said. Trump pulled the US out of a 2015 nuclear pact two years ago, and Iran has been violating the terms of the accord to pressure the remaining signatories to offset US economic sanctions. The two leaders also talked about Russia and the United States cooperating in their efforts to tackle the coronavirus pandemic, according to the Kremlin. — Agencies
