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Trump and Putin discuss tackling Islamic State together and meeting face-to-face in first phonecall since US Syria bombing


The tense phone call between the two world leaders - the third since the US President took office - is reported to have been more amicable than most anticipated

Putin and Trump will reportedly meet later this year (Photo: REUTERS)

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin have spoken via a telephone call to discuss working together towards tackling Islamic State terrorism and ending violence in Syria.

The world leaders spoke for the first time since Russia slammed US military action in Syria last month - and the call went better than anticipated with the two leaders even discussing the possibility of meeting face-to-face.

The White House said the two leaders agreed that "all parties must do all they can to end the violence" in Syria and that Trump and Putin also discussed working together against Islamic militants throughout the Middle East.

A statement from the White House read: "The conversation was a very good one, and included the discussion of safe, or de-escalation, zones to achieve lasting peace for humanitarian and many other reasons.

It also said Washington will send a representative to Syrian cease-fire talks in Astana, Kazakhstan, on Wednesday and Thursday, adding: "They also discussed at length working together to eradicate terrorism throughout the Middle East.

"Finally, they spoke about how best to resolve the very dangerous situation in North Korea."

A separate statement from the Kremlin suggested a face-to-face meeting could be arranged for later this year.

The Kremlin statement said both parties agreed to try and meet in July and work towards a ceasefire in Syria.

It marked their third phone call since Trump took office.

US president Donald Trump first spoke with Putin a week after his inauguration (Photo: REUTERS)
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Putin and Trump last spoke following a terror attack in St. Petersburg at the start of April. - when relations were said to be "fraught".

Their first call came a week after Trump was inaugurated as President of the United States.

Putin has previously slammed an American air strike against a Syrian air base as "aggression against a sovereign state in violation of the norms of international law".

The White House confirmed the US president and Russian president arranged to speak at 4.30pm UK time (12.30pm EDT).

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov predicted the discussion was likely to cover the the civil war in Syria after the pair held crisis talks in April.

Moscow backs the government of Bashar al-Assad and the United States supports rebels trying to overthrow him.

The fraught relationship between Trump and Putin exploded when Trump ordered an air strike on a Syrian air base last month in retaliation for a deadly poison gas attack on civilians he blamed on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government.


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On April 8, it is believed the pair had a fraught discussion after America's deadly airstrike on Syria(Photo: PA)

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Russia denied the Syrian government was responsible for the gas strike at the city of Khan Sheikhoun, which killed 86 ­civilians, including 30 children and 20 women.

Putin then sent the missile warship Admiral Grigorovich to the airfield as back-up.

Russia’s Prime Minister Dimitry Medvedev claimed the U.S. missile strike, in which 59 ­Tomahawk cruise missiles were unleashed, was illegal and warned Mr Trump had been “one step away from military clashes with Russia”.

But the US president insisted it was time the Assad regime was reined in from its barbarous attacks on innocent Syrians.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has refused to drop his support for Assad, instead accusing the US of a conspiracy to launch an attack and blame it on the Syrian regime.

Trump has called Assad a "butcher" and warned US-Russia relations may now be at an "all-time low".


US Navy of USS Porter (DDG 78) firing a tomahawk land attack missile (Photo: PA)
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Trump, whose administration is under the scanner for links with Russia, has already spoken with Putin twice over telephone since taking office.

On April 8, it is believed the pair had a fraught discussion after America's deadly airstrike on Syria.

Ties between the countries became strained after US intelligence agencies said hackers directed by the Kremlin infiltrated the Democratic National Committee networks ahead of the US election.

Source: ABIGAIL O'LEARYRACHEL BISHOP - THE MIRROR UK

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