President-elect Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin have vowed to tackle ISIS together after holding breakthrough talks on the telephone.
Less than a week after the billionaire’s election, the Kremlin said Putin called Trump yesterday to begin negotiations over how best to tackle to terrorism.
The Russian is reported to have said he is ready for dialogue with the US “on the basis of mutual respect, non-intervention into each other’s internal affairs”.
According to the news agency Kremlin, Putin and Trump have agreed to “work to channel bilateral relationships into constructive cooperation, to combine efforts to tackle international terrorism and extremism, and to continue contact by telephone and to work towards meeting in person”.
"The importance of creating a solid basis for bilateral ties was underscored, in particularly by developing the trade-economic component," the Kremlin said in its statement.
It added that the countries should "return to pragmatic, mutually beneficial cooperation, which would address the interests of both countries as well as stability and safety for the world over."
The two men will maintain contact by phone and seek to meet each other in person, the statement said.
The call is a marked shift in relations between the two countries who have been at loggerheads under the Obama administration.
Trump will take office on January 20, replacing Obama, whose relations with Putin have become tense over various issues including Syria and Ukraine.
The thawing of tensions could have implications for American whistleblower Edward Snowden, who has been in exile in Moscow since stealing US spy details and publishing them online.
In a statement, Trump's office said: "President-elect Trump noted to President Putin that he is very much looking forward to having a strong and enduring relationship with Russia and the people of Russia."
It added that Putin called the billionaire to offer his congratulations on his election.
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