"Short talk but a good talk", Trump said in comments about Wednesday's phone conversation with Putin.
During the call, Trump offered Putin help in fighting wildfires in Siberia. According to the Kremlin, Putin told Trump that Russia would take up the offer if needed, viewing it as a sign of the potential restoration of full-fledged bilateral relations between the two countries.
Trump said that he did not discuss the Intermediate Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty with Putin. But he added that the US and Russia want to have a nuclear agreement.
"Russia would like to do something on a nuclear treaty and that's OK with me. They would like to do something and so would I", Trump said.
Trump’s withdrawal from the INF treaty becomes official on 2 August, six months after his administration announced its intention to suspend its treaty obligations. Earlier, US National Security Adviser John Bolton confirmed the United States would withdraw from the treaty on Friday.
The US formally suspended its obligations under the INF Treaty in February, accusing Russia of numerous violations of the deal. In July, Russian President Vladimir Putin responded by signing a decree that would suspend Russia's participation in the accord.
The INF Treaty requires that the United States and Russia eliminate and permanently forswear all nuclear and conventional ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges between 500 to 5,500 kilometers (310 to 3,417 miles).
