Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin on Saturday agreed to stabilise relations between the United States and Russia. In their first phone call since Trump became US president, the two leaders agreed to establish a “partner-like cooperation” on a variety of issues, including the civil war in Syria, Iran’s nuclear programme and tensions on the Korean peninsula, Reuters reported.

In a statement, the Kremlin said Trump and Putin “demonstrated a mood for active, joint work on stabilising and developing Russian-American cooperation”. “The chat took place in a positive and business-like tone,” the Kremlin said. The two leaders also agreed to make counter-terrorism and the fight against the Islamic State their top priority, the statement added. They also agreed to work on setting up a face-to-face meeting and to stay in regular contact with one another.

The White House said the hour-long phone call between Trump and Putin was a significant start to improving a relationship “in need of repair”, CNN reported. However, neither side spoke of the possibility of easing US and international sanctions against Russia, which were imposed on the country after its annexation of the Crimean peninsula.

Relations between the two countries had deteriorated in the last few years. While Moscow is an ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Washington backs rebel groups opposing him. US intelligence agencies also believe that the Kremlin had breached the accounts of Democratic Party organisations and its candidates ahead of the 2016 US presidential elections, leading to Trump’s win.