Phone Conversation Between Putin and Trump on 'Ways to Improve Relations' and 'Syria'

Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, congratulated Donald Trump, the President-elect of the United States, on his 'historic victory' in the elections during a phone call. The two discussed 'improving relations', the 'Syria crisis', and 'counter-terrorism'. According to a statement released by Trump's office, he expressed his deep interest in establishing strong and stable relations with the government and people of Russia. Trump's office stated that Putin congratulated him on his 'historic victory'. The Kremlin also stated that the Russian leader, while congratulating Trump, expressed readiness for the two countries' relations under the next U.S. administration to continue based on unity, mutual respect, and non-interference in each other's internal affairs. The statement from Trump's office emphasized the 200-year relationship between the two countries and mentioned that 'the two leaders discussed various issues including the threats and challenges facing Russia and the U.S., their strategic economy, and their historical relations.' Moscow stated that both Putin and Trump agreed that U.S.-Russia relations are currently in a 'severely unfavorable' stage; 'they discussed joint and active measures to normalize relations and constructive cooperation on various issues.' Other topics raised in the phone call included the Syria crisis and what the Kremlin described as 'the fight against the number one enemy of both countries; international terrorism and extremism.' According to this statement, Putin and Trump expressed their agreement to continue phone conversations and also to have an in-person meeting in the future. During his election campaign, Trump praised Putin and described him - unusually in a political campaign in the U.S. - as better and more deserving than Barack Obama, the current president, and Hillary Clinton, his rival. The President-elect also expressed hope that, if victorious in the elections, he would 'cooperate' with Russia to combat groups like the 'Islamic State' in Syria. The U.S. and Russia have had a tumultuous relationship over the past years, one reason being the Syria issue, alongside other crises in Moscow-Washington relations such as Ukraine, sanctions against Russia, or NATO's expansion at its western borders. Despite the fact that a U.S.-led coalition and Russian air forces are both present in the Syrian civil war and both have conducted attacks against 'Islamic State' groups and al-Qaeda affiliates, close cooperation has not been established between them. The main reason for this is the future of Bashar al-Assad's government and the solution to end the Syria crisis. Russia and Iran are major supporters of Bashar al-Assad, while Washington and many of its regional allies support various rebel groups. However, Trump's foreign policy and his approach to the region are still not very clear. Despite Trump's praise for Putin, the President-elect has strongly criticized Iran's actions, which is one of Russia's most important allies in West Asia, as well as the nuclear agreement that was established with Russia's active involvement. In this context, Trump spoke about his policies and promises in a television interview, while EU foreign ministers emphasized renewed support for the Iran nuclear deal. The British Foreign Secretary stated: 'Trump is a dealmaker, and we can work with him,' while Obama said: 'We should give Trump a chance to make decisions.'