Trump says he and Putin discussed Mueller report, Venezuela and North Korea in phone call

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) —  President Donald Trump and Russian president Vladimir Putin spoke on the phone for a little over an hour on Friday and discussed the special counsel’s investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

The call comes as President Trump continues to face fallout following the special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe and amid growing calls for Attorney General William Barr to resign for his handling of the report.

When asked by reporters if he would like to see Mueller testify before Congress about the report’s findings and handling of its release, Trump said that’s up to the attorney general.

Trump also told reporters that, during their conversation, Putin said the furor over the probe in Russian election meddling “ended up as a mouse.”

President Trump tweeted the conversation was “very good,” adding “as I have always said, long before the Witch Hunt started, getting along with Russia, China, and everyone is a good thing, not a bad thing.”

The two leaders also discussed a potential nuclear agreement that could include China, tension in Venezuela and North Korea, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters.

The two leaders disagreed on who should hold the power in Venezuela with the Trump administration backing opposition leader Juan Guaido in his effort to oust Nicolas Maduro, the socialist president supported by the Russian government.

According to the White House, the president reiterated several times on the phone call with Putin his focus to stand with the Venezuelan people as the country is embattled by mass protests.

“The president’s primary focus throughout the call was about helping the people of Venezuela, making clear that the United States stands with the people of Venezuela and the importance of making sure those individuals are able to get the food, the water and the medical supplies needed,” Sanders said.

But in a translated statement from the Kremlin: “the Russian president stressed that only the Venezuelans themselves have the right to determine the future of their country.”

The leaders also discussed trade and a potential nuclear agreement including China but spent a “good bit of time” focused on the push for North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to denuclearize.

“The president said several times on this front as well – the need and the importance of Russia stepping up and continuing to help and put pressure on North Korea to denuclearize,” Sanders said.

The Kremlin noted in their statement, “both sides noted the importance of consistently moving along the path of denuclearization and achieving long-term normalization on the Korean Peninsula.”

The Russian statement did not reference the Mueller report or the special counsel investigation.

Copyright © 2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.

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