Putin, Trump express willingness to cooperate

Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump agreed to stabilize and deepen bilateral cooperation during a phone conversation on Saturday, the Kremlin said.

"The two sides expressed willingness to work actively together to stabilize and develop Russian-American cooperation on a constructive basis, as equals, and to mutual benefit," the Kremlin said in a statement issued after their first phone conversation.

Putin and Trump highlighted the priority of joint efforts in the fight against the main threat of international terrorism during the call, which was widely scrutinized to see if there will be a thaw in the soured relations during the Obama administration.

"The Presidents called for establishing a real coordination of U.S. and Russian actions to defeat the Islamic State and other terrorist groups in Syria," the statement read.

They also stressed the importance of restoring mutually beneficial trade and economic ties between business communities of the two countries, which could further boost development of bilateral relations.

Russian and American people see each other positively, said the two leaders, who agreed to maintain regular personal contacts.

"The conversation took place in a positive and businesslike manner," said the Kremlin statement.

source: Xinhua