During a telephone call, Russian President Vladimir Putin and future U.S. President Donald Trump discussed U.S.-Russian ties as well as the situation in Syria.
According to a Trump statement, Putin “called to offer his congratulations on winning a historic election.”
Trump is “very much looking forward to having a strong and enduring relationship with Russia and the people of Russia,” the statement said.
During the conversation, Putin and Trump agreed on the common view of “uniting efforts in the fight with the common enemy number one – international terrorism and extremism,” the Kremlin said in a statement published on its website late Monday.
The men also discussed economic issues and a basis for relations through trade and economic ties between the two countries while working toward “constructive cooperation,” the Kremlin said.
Russian parliament speaker Vyacheslav Volodin told NTV Channel over the weekend that Trump and Putin have similar common views that could improve Russian and United States relations with each other. He added that Obama has “whipped up tensions, therefore contributing to the growing animosity” between the U.S. and Russia.
“If Trump brings his promises to life, it will radically change the situation. We have only seen Trump as a candidate but we are yet to see what [kind of] president he will be,” Volodin said.
“What we have currently is a very lousy relationship,” Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told CNN.
Just hours after Putin and Trump discussed relations, Russia announced a major air offensive in Syria, ending a three week long ceasefire by conducting air strikes on the northern Syrian city of Aleppo.
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