Trump and Putin spoke on the phone for nearly an hour.

US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin spoke by phone for the first time, discussing how to coordinate efforts to combat the self-proclaimed Islamic State and achieve peace in Syria.

US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Photo: AP

"The positive phone call is an important first step toward improving relations between the United States and Russia, a relationship that needs mending," the White House said in a statement after the nearly hour-long call.

"Both President Trump and President Putin hope that following today's phone call, both sides can quickly take action to address terrorism and other important issues of common concern," the statement read.

The White House issued its statement long after the Kremlin released itss yesterday.The Russian side stated that the two leaders discussed cooperation in Syria to defeat the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) and emphasized the importance of restoring economic relations between the two countries and stabilizing ties..

According to VNE