"Urgent issues of the bilateral agenda were discussed, as well as the situation in hot spots with a focus on the Korean nuclear settlement," the Kremlin said December 15.
According to the Kremlin statement, the call was held at the request of the US, and both nuclear powers agreed to continue bilateral contacts. The pair last chatted November 21 to discuss the Russian president's meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
In an email, White House spokesperson Sarah Huckabee Sanders told Reuters, "President Trump spoke with Putin earlier today and a read out will be sent later tonight."
Responding to a journalist at an annual press conference Thursday, Putin said Trump has made some "serious achievements" while in office, judging by objective metrics such as market data. "Look at the markets, how they've risen," Putin said, according to Bloomberg. "That shows investors' confidence in the American economy, it shows they believe in what President Trump is doing in this area."
