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US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he will probably meet Russian President Vladimir Putin, who won Sunday's Russian presidential election in a landslide victory "in the not too distant future."
"I had a call with President Putin and congratulated him on the victory," Trump told reporters at the White House before his meeting with visiting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud.
"The call had to do also with the fact that we will probably get together in the not too distant future," Trump added.
Trump said that they could discuss the arms race between Washington and Moscow and also talk about issues including Ukraine, Syria and the Korean Peninsula.
US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin shake hands during a meeting on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany, on July 7, 2017.
The White House said in a statement that, in their phone call earlier on Tuesday, Trump and Putin discussed bilateral relations, resolving to continue dialogue about mutual national security priorities and challenges.
During the phone call, Trump also emphasized the importance of denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula, according to the statement.
Putin was re-elected Russian president for the fourth time in a landslide victory
Putin was re-elected Russian president for the fourth time in a landslide victory on Sunday, garnering more than 76 percent of the vote.
Trump's remarks on his possible meeting with Putin came less than a month after the United States bridled at Putin's missile plan, saying US defense capabilities remain "unmatched" and "second to none."
The US Department of Defense rolled out its budget for fiscal year 2019 in late February, asking Congress for 716 billion US dollars for arms purchases and a staff expansion.
(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)
