Boris Johnson has told his counterpart in the Kremlin he hopes for a 'normalisation' of relations between London and Moscow, the Russian Foreign Ministry revealed today.

Mr Johnson spoke to Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov over the phone this morning.

Both the Foreign Secretary and new Prime Minister Theresa May have been involved in a series of calls with world leaders as Britain's new government introduces itself.

In its own account of the call, the Foreign Office said Mr Johnson highlighted 'significant differences' between Britain and Russia but told his counterpart he wanted to 'continue to build a constructive dialogue'.

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Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson spoke to his counterpart in the Kremlin today as the first step toward increasing 'political dialogue' between Britain and Russia

British-Russian relations have been in a deep freeze for several years amid concern over Russian aggression in Ukraine and the conclusions of the inquiry into the assassination of Alexander Litvinenko, which blamed Mr Putin.

The Russian foreign ministry said: 'Both sides expressed hope for a normalisation in Russian-British ties and underscored the desire to step up political dialogue.

'The intent to increase political dialogue was underlined despite the remaining problems in bilateral relations, in order to realise their considerable potential in areas such as the economy, humanitarian ties and foreign policy cooperation.'

The call also touched on the on-going civil war in Syria, in which Russian forces have been involved, and the wider threat from terrorism.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: 'The Foreign Secretary made clear that while we have some significant differences with Russia, we need to continue to build a constructive dialogue on issues of mutual concern as well as on points of disagreement.

'They discussed Syria, with the Foreign Secretary expressing his deep concern about the situation in Aleppo, and emphasising the urgent humanitarian need for all parties to put an end to violations of the Cessation of Hostilities.

'They agreed to take forward discussions in person at the UN General Assembly in September.'

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov agreed with Mr Johnson on the hope for 'normalisation' in a call which also touched on Syria and terrorism

In a call with Mr Putin on Tuesday, Mrs May said she hoped the nations could push forward in an 'honest' way despite their differences.

The pair will meet at the G20 summit of world leaders in China next month.

A Downing Street spokeswoman said the leaders discussed common security threats faced by both countries when they spoke on the phone on Tuesday afternoon.

She said: 'The Prime Minister noted the importance of the relationship between the UK and Russia and expressed the hope that, despite differences on certain issues, they could communicate in an open and honest way about the issues that mattered most to them.

'The Prime Minister and president agreed that British and Russian citizens faced common threats from terrorism, and that co-operation on aviation security in particular was a vital part of the international counter-terrorism effort.

'They looked forward to seeing each other at the G20 summit in China next month.'

The pair agreed to develop a dialogue between their security agencies over aviation security, the Kremlin added.

The Russian government said Mrs May also confirmed Britain's intention to participate in the 75th anniversary of the first arrival of vital aid by British wartime convoys to the Russian city of Arkhangelsk, later this month.