Kremlin says Putin, Trump to speak over phone on Tuesday

ISTANBUL

US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin will speak over the phone on Tuesday, the Kremlin said on Monday.

On Sunday, The New York Times reported Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that he plans to speak with his Russian counterpart as part of ongoing efforts to secure a temporary halt to fighting in Ukraine.

“Yes, that's true. There's a conversation planned for Tuesday,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow in response to a question on the matter.

He said that the Kremlin will not disclose the details of the upcoming conversation.

Peskov said that Washington’s decision to cut financing for Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is an “internal decision.”

Trump signed an executive order on Friday, mandating significant budget cuts at the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which oversaw VOA and RFE/RL, and six other agencies.

A day later, more than 1,300 VOA employees were reported to have been informed that they were placed on administrative leave.

In February, Russia added RFE/RL to its list of “undesirable organizations."