Moscow and Washington have not yet specifically agreed to hold a telephone conversation between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his American counterpart Donald Trump. This was stated by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, after Trump said he would speak with Putin "very soon".
“The conversation has not been agreed on in substance yet“, Peskov told journalists. He did not specify a date or time for the possible contact between the two presidents. The information was disseminated by TASS, and Interfax specified that if Washington takes the initiative, the conversation could be organized operationally.
The American president stated on October 6 that a telephone conversation with Putin was planned and that it would take place "very soon". According to the Associated Press, Trump has cited a case of illness being investigated at a Russian research institute in Siberia as a possible topic.
The agency reports that health authorities are investigating the death of an employee of the Institute for Combating Plague in Irkutsk. The cause has been described as pneumonia of unknown origin, and the World Health Organization has assessed the risk outside of Russia as “very low“. These details are part of the American statement about the possible conversation, but the Kremlin has not confirmed that the topic is included in an officially agreed agenda.
So far, it has only been confirmed that Moscow and Washington have not agreed on a date for the conversation. The Kremlin said that if the American side officially initiates it, it could be organized quickly.
Sources: tass.ru, interfax.ru, apnews.com