U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson gestures as he delivers a joint statement with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in Kiev, Ukraine July 9, 2017. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia is ready to normalize relations with the United States and to cooperate on major global issues, Moscow’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in a phone call on Friday.

Lavrov told Tillerson that Moscow’s decision to cut U.S. diplomatic staff in Russia was prompted by “a number of Washington’s hostile steps”.

Lavrov and Tillerson “agreed to maintain contact on a range of bilateral issues”, the Russian’s Foreign Ministry said in statement.