Donald Trump's eldest son reportedly discussed the need to work with Russia to resolve the crisis in Syria with pro-Russia attendees of a conference in Paris last month, it emerged on Wednesday.

Mr Trump, the president-elect, has long said he hoped the US would begin to "get along" with Moscow, particularly with regard to Syria. One attendee, a Syrian-French activist, said she passed Donald Trump Jr a message to his father about how to deal with the civil war.

Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian dictator, has called Mr Trump a "natural ally", and Mr Trump has indicated that he is likely to drop funding for anti-Assad opposition forces.

The billionaire's son, Donald Trump Jr, attended a conference at the Paris Ritz on Oct 11 along with diplomats, businessmen and activists which, according to the Wall St Journal, was focused in large part on encouraging cooperation between Russia and the West over Syria.