President Trump and British Prime Minister Theresa May discussed Russia’s support for Syria in a phone call on Monday, days after May expressed support for the United States’ military air strikes against the Assad regime.
“The prime minister and the president agreed that a window of opportunity now exists in which to persuade Russia that its alliance with [Syrian President Bashar] Assad is no longer in its strategic interest,” a Downing Street spokesman said.
“They agreed that US Secretary of State [Rex] Tillerson’s visit to Moscow this week provides an opportunity to make progress towards a solution which will deliver a lasting political settlement,” the spokesman continued.
Tillerson will meet with Russian officials during a visit to Moscow later this week, which is set to include a sit-down with Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. A senior U.S. official told multiple news outlets on Monday that the Russian government was given advance notice of the recent chemical attack in Syria.
Trump and May, who visited the White House in late January, also discussed Iran’s growing threat to regional security in the Middle East and North Korean aggression.
They “stressed the importance of the international community, including China, putting pressure on North Korea to constrain the threat it poses,” a spokesman said.
