MOSCOW, July 23. /TASS/. The Presidents of Russia and the United States, Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, held constructive and meaningful talks on the phone on Thursday, hoping to enhance trade and economic cooperation, the Kremlin said in a statement.
"[They] voiced mutual willingness to boost Russian-US commercial and economic cooperation," the statement says.
According to the Kremlin press office, in the conversation the presidents "gave a positive assessment to cooperation in the fight against the coronavirus infection." "The conversation was constructive and meaningful," the Kremlin underscored adding that the leaders had agreed to continue contacts at various levels.
The presidents reaffirmed the need to hold Russian-US talks on arms control.
"[They] discussed in detail strategic stability and arms control, taking into consideration the particular responsibilities of Russia and the US in maintaining international peace and security," the Kremlin said in a statement on Thursday after the two leaders’ talks.
The Kremlin pointed out that "in this context, they confirmed the relevance of bilateral consultations on those issues, including on the Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms [known as New START - TASS]."
Apart from that, Putin and Trump "noted the importance of the Russian initiative to convene a summit of the permanent members of the UN Security Council on a wide range of international security issues.".
The sides also believe that collective efforts aimed at preserving the global nuclear nonproliferation regime are in great demand. "The situation around the Iran nuclear deal was touched upon. Both sides emphasized the need for collective efforts to maintain regional stability and the global nuclear nonproliferation regime," the statement says.
Putin and Trump held previous talks over the phone on June 1.
Earlier, Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov said that Russia and the US could considerably boost bilateral trade, which amounted to $28 billion in 2019. According to the ambassador, an objective of the dramatic increase in business contacts, trade and investments was set out at the highest level.
On March 30, Putin and Trump focused on the Russian-US cooperation in combatting the coronavirus pandemic during their phone call. First, Moscow delivered aid to the US and later, Washington sent 200 lung ventilators to Russia.