COVID-19 pandemic, oil prices and bilateral relations: what Putin and Trump discussed in a telephone conversation

On Monday evening, March 30, at the initiative of the American side, a telephone conversation took place between Russian President Vladimir Putin and White House head Donald Trump. According to the Kremlin’s press service, the leaders of the two countries held a lengthy conversation.

“The heads of state expressed serious concern about the scale of the spread of coronavirus in the world and informed each other about measures taken in Russia and the United States to counter this threat. The possibilities of closer cooperation between the two countries in this direction were discussed, ”the report said.

Recall that according to the latest data from the World Health Organization, the United States of America takes the first place in the number of confirmed cases of the disease - more than 122 thousand. At the same time, 2 112 deaths are known. In Russia, 1,836 cases of the disease were registered, 302 of them over the past day. At the same time, 66 people recovered. Meanwhile, on the evening of March 30, the death toll from infection increased to 14. So, in the Moscow Region, a 65-year-old patient died, she died from complications caused by exacerbation of numerous serious chronic diseases. While in Moscow, four people aged 76 to 86 years became victims of infection.

Oil, bilateral relations and Venezuela

In addition, according to the Kremlin’s press service, Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump exchanged views on the current state of the global oil market. The heads of state agreed that Russian-American consultations on this subject would continue along the lines of energy ministers.

It should be noted that during the March 30 auction, the cost of the June Brent crude oil futures on the ICE exchange in London fell to its lowest level since March 2002, amounting to $ 21.76 per barrel. At the same time, WTI crude oil was trading below $ 20 per barrel.

Also, the presidents of Russia and the United States raised some issues of bilateral relations and reached an agreement "on the continuation of personal contacts."

At the same time, the White House press service in a communiqué following a telephone conversation said that Trump had informed Putin about the “deplorable situation” in Venezuela, indicating that everyone was interested in “a democratic change of power” in Caracas for the end of the current crisis.

Earlier, the US Department of Justice has charged Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and a number of senior officials of the republic with charges of involvement in drug trafficking. Washington announced a reward for the Venezuelan leader in the amount of $ 15 million. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova described the statement by the American side as "absurd and wild."

“We were surprised to learn about the charge of the US Attorney General, in which the Venezuelan leadership is accused of direct participation in the international drug trafficking. Following the intention to overthrow the legitimate Venezuelan authorities, and no one hid it, the American justice also promised a large sum for information that supposedly would help to arrest President Maduro and other representatives of the senior leadership of Venezuela, ”Zakharova said at a March 27 briefing.

A conversation between Lavrov and Pompeo

Meanwhile, on March 30, a telephone conversation took place between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. According to the Foreign Ministry, the conversation also took place on the initiative of the American side.

“Following on from the telephone conversation between the presidents of Russia and the United States several hours earlier, the foreign ministers continued to exchange views on the situation in the world caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The intention was confirmed to facilitate the implementation of the decisions of the G20 summit held on March 26 in the format of a video conference, ”the statement said.

Following the results of the G20 summit, held in an online format, its participants agreed to take joint efforts to support the global economy amid a pandemic. In particular, the G20 countries will develop a plan to deal with the consequences of the spread of coronavirus.

In addition, Lavrov and Pompeo touched upon other pressing issues on the international agenda, including the situation in the field of strategic stability and the settlement in Syria, as well as some problems of bilateral relations.