CANBERRA -- The last time Malcolm Turnbull and Donald Trump spoke on the phone it was apparently the "most unpleasant call" the President took that day. This time around, expectations are far higher for the two leaders' second long distance chat.
The growing nuclear threat from North Korea will be the focus of the call and we already know that Australia and the United States are "joined at the hip" militarily.
Trump and Turnbull's first phone call, which took place soon after U.S. President was inaugurated, was infamously testy over Trump's unwillingness to commit to a "horrible" and "disgusting" refugee swap deal clinched by his predecessor Barack Obama.
It was quickly leaked that the call ended in a hang up, and in August, each and every excruciating moment was detailed, blow by blow, in a full transcript leak unleashed by the Washington Post.
It was then revealed, although it was an extremely difficult conversation where Turnbull held his ground, there was actually no hang up.
Trump and Turnbull are expected to speak from their offices on Wednesday around 7:45am AEST for around 20 minutes.
The call has been in the works for days and is expected to focus on North Korea's weekend nuclear test which Turnbull said on Monday had brought the Korean peninsula closer to conflict than any other time in the past 64 years.
"We have a very close relationship with the United States in all of these defence and strategic matters, none closer," Turnbull told Sydney's Nova 96.9 on Tuesday.
"The important point to remember is that everybody wants to get this resolved without conflict."
Again describing Kim Jong-un's regime as "very dangerous, reckless and provocative", the Prime Minister said the toughest economic sanctions need to be enforced on North Korea.
"Now, the (UN) Security Council already has imposed sanctions and what they're now considering, is imposing even tougher ones," he said. "Really, that is the key to bringing the regime to its senses, without conflict."
The phone call is expected after the U.S President holds briefings with his National Security Council and intelligence agencies.