MOSCOW — President Trump congratulated Russian President Vladimir Putin on his reelection victory in a phone call on Tuesday, the Kremlin said.
The White House confirmed that the call took place but had no immediate comment on the Kremlin’s characterization of it. Some world leaders have hesitated to congratulate Putin, since his reelection occurred in an environment of state control of much of the news media and his most prominent opponent was barred from the ballot.
“Donald Trump congratulated Vladimir Putin on his victory in the presidential election,” the Kremlin said.
President Trump: "I had a call with President Putin and congratulated him on the victory … We'll probably be meeting in the not-too-distant future to discuss the arms race, which is getting out of control." pic.twitter.com/JGk9V2biwX
— NBC News (@NBCNews) March 20, 2018
Beyond the congratulations, it said, the two leaders discussed Syria, Ukraine, North Korea and arms control. The two also discussed a potential meeting, the Kremlin said.
“Special attention was paid to making progress on the question of holding a possible meeting at the highest level,” the Kremlin’s statement about the phone call said. “In all, the conversation carried a constructive, businesslike character and was oriented toward overcoming the problems that have piled up in U.S.-Russian relations.”
The White House confirmed Tuesday morning that the call had occurred but spokesmen would provide no details, promising that the White House would soon release a readout of the call. Top White House spokesmen did not immediately respond to a request asking them to confirm or deny the Kremlin’s claim that Trump congratulated Putin.
“The leaders said they would work to develop practical cooperation in various directions, including in questions of assuring strategic stability and fighting international terrorism,” the Kremlin said. “Among other things, the need to coordinate efforts to limit an arms race was discussed.”
Putin won a fourth presidential term in Sunday’s Russian election, allowing him to serve until 2024. He took 77 percent of the votes, with 68 percent turnout, the government said. But Putin barely campaigned, opposition activist Alexei Navalny was barred from the ballot, and reports of ballot-stuffing and people being ordered to vote by their employers rolled in throughout election day.
The Post’s Jenna Johnson in Washington contributed to this report.
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