During the talks, which began at 10am US Eastern time and lasted for nearly 2 ½ hours, the two leaders “stressed the need for improved bilateral relations between the United States and Russia”.

“The two leaders agreed that a future with an improved bilateral relationship between the United States and Russia has huge upside,” it added. “This includes enormous economic deals and geopolitical stability when peace has been achieved.”

The White House said the two spoke “broadly” about the Middle East as a region of “potential cooperation to prevent future conflicts” and discussed the need to “stop proliferation of strategic weapons and will engage with others to ensure the broadest possible application”.