President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will speak by phone on Tuesday afternoon, the White House said Monday night, with a senior Trump administration official telling Reuters that the two leaders will likely discuss the civil war in Syria. Putin and Trump have spoken on the phone two times since Trump's inauguration, once in January and another time after a terrorist attack in St. Petersburg in early April. They have not spoken since Trump launched missiles at an air base of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, a Russian ally; Moscow sharply criticized the attack. The U.S. has been backing the rebels fighting to unseat Assad, though Trump's advisers have given mixed signals on his Assad policy. Both Russia and the U.S. consider the Islamic State an enemy.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
The teenage 'maths prodigy' who turned out to be a cheatUnder The Radar Jiang Ping defied expectations in a global competition but something wasn't right
-
Puppet shows, pagodas and pho: a guide to HanoiThe Week Recommends Vietnam's capital city blends the ancient with the new
-
'There are benefits, but not acknowledging them would tell only half of the story'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Haiti council fires prime minister, boosting chaosSpeed Read Prime Minister Garry Conille was replaced with Alix Didier Fils-Aimé
-
Trump tells next Senate GOP leader to skip confirmationsSpeed Read The president-elect said the next Senate majority leader must allow him to make recess appointments
-
Fed cuts rates, chair says he won't quit if Trump asksSpeed Read Jerome Powell was noncommittal on future rate cuts that were expected before Trump won the election
-
Judge revives plea deal for 9/11 suspectsSpeed Read A military judge has ruled to restore the plea deals struck by 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two co-conspirators
-
Harris concedes as world prepares for Trump's returnSpeed Read Vice President Kamala Harris told supporters it was important to 'accept the results of this election'
-
Abortion rights measures go 7 for 10Speed Read Constitutional amendments to protect abortion passed in seven states but failed in three others: Florida, Nebraska and South Dakota
-
Netanyahu fires defense minister, sparking protestsSpeed Read Yoav Gallant and Netanyahu have clashed for years. The Israeli prime minister first tried to fire the defense minister in 2023, but backed off following a public outcry.
-
Trump wins, GOP flips Senate, House a tossupSpeed Read The Republican candidate flipped back the swing states he lost to President Joe Biden in 2020
