Trump-Putin phone call covers North Korea

International Desk: Russian President Vladimir Putin had some kind words for President Trump's handling of the U.S. economy on Thursday — so Trump called Putin to personally thank him.

The two sides sent out only bare-bones summaries of the afternoon phone call, but the White House version of the call noted that Trump "thanked President Putin for acknowledging America’s strong economic performance" earlier in the day.

In his annual freewheeling press conference Thursday, Putin remarked on the booming U.S. stock market — a regular Trump talking point — and said it was a sign that investors "trust in what President Trump has been doing in this field."

The Russian account said Trump initiated the phone call.

The two leaders also talked about North Korea. Russia's state-run Kremlin news service said there was "an emphasis placed on settling the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue." The White House said the two sides "discussed working together to resolve the very dangerous situation in North Korea."

Though neither side addressed details, one likely topic of conversation is the possibility of direct talks with North Korea. Putin had called Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's willingness to negotiate "a very good signal," but the White House has distanced itself from Tillerson's diplomatic opening.

Source: Agencies

risingbd/Dhaka/December 15, 2017/A K Azad