Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin discussed paths towards peace in Syria on Tuesday, in the first sign of practical interaction between the US and Russian presidents since US secretary of state Rex Tillerson visited Moscow last month.
Tuesday’s call, only the second time the two presidents spoke since Mr Trump took office in January, was the first sign that Moscow and Washington might be acting on Mr Tillerson’s pledge to prevent a further degradation of their ties.
According to a White House statement, the two leaders “agreed that the suffering in Syria has gone on for far too long and that all parties must do all they can to end the violence.”