The White House has described Donald Trump's first conversation with Vladimir Putin since his inauguration as "positive".

Following the hour-long call between the two world leaders, US officials described it as a "significant start to improving the relationship between the United States and Russia that is in need of repair".

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A statement said a range of topics were discussed - including the prospect of mutual co-operation to defeat Islamic State and "efforts in working together to achieve more peace throughout the world, including Syria".

However, a White House official said sanctions imposed on Russia by President Trump's predecessor, Barack Obama, were not mentioned during the talks.


"Both President Trump and President Putin are hopeful that after today's call the two sides can move quickly to tackle terrorism and other important issues of mutual concern," the Trump administration's statement added.

Their discussion about the threat posed by IS came as Mr Trump signed an executive order asking joint chiefs of staff to submit a plan within 30 days for defeating the terror group.

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In its readout of the call, the Kremlin said the conversation took place in a "positive and businesslike manner" - adding that both leaders had agreed to maintain regular personal contact as they prepare for a face-to-face meeting.

Moscow also said both men had addressed the importance of "restoring mutually beneficial trade and economic ties between business circles of the two countries" - which may be at odds with the White House's insistence that sanctions were not discussed.

Mr Trump's promises to rebuild US-Russian co-operation have been welcomed by the Kremlin, as the relationship has been pushed to its worst level since the Cold War following the Ukraine crisis, the Syrian civil war and allegations that Russian hackers meddled in the US election.

Ahead of the call, Mr Trump was non-committal on the subject, telling reporters on Friday: "We'll see what happens."

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The European Union has also hit Russia with sanctions for its actions in Ukraine, while Prime Minister Theresa May said after meeting Mr Trump on Friday that sanctions should continue.

President Trump also spoke with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday, with the White House saying the pair agreed on the "fundamental importance" of NATO.

The President had previously dismissed the alliance as "obsolete", a remark that had caused alarm in Europe.

French President Francois Hollande also had a telephone conversation with Mr Trump, telling his US counterpart that he should not take a protectionist approach in office.

"In an unstable and uncertain world, turning inward would be a dead end," Mr Hollande told Mr Trump in their first official telephone conversation, according to a statement from the French President's office.