Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin have agreed to meet, the Kremlin said last night

The possibility of the newly-elected US president meeting his Russian counterpart emerged in a readout of a telephone conversation between the two men issued by the Kremlin

"Mr Putin and Mr Trump agreed to issue instructions to work out the possible date and venue for their personal meeting," the Kremlin said in a statement.

They two men also agreed to co-operate in the fight against Isil and forge closer economic ties.

The 50 minute telephone call on Saturday afternoon was seen as the first test of an embryonic reset of Russo-US relations that has previously been largely confined to mutually flattering public comments and a shared disdain for Mr Trump's predecessor, Barack Obama.

The phone call was welcomed by top Russian officials but watched anxiously by critics of Mr Putin in Washington and Europe, who fear Mr Trump may abandon key US commitments, including sanctions imposed after the annexation of Crimea, in a bid to improve relations with the Kremlin.