Trump and Putin agree to work together on Syria ahead of first meeting in summer

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin have spoken for the first time since a row between their countries over the conflict in Syria.

The US and Russian presidents reportedly agreed on ways in which they could work together to end the Syrian civil war, in a Tuesday (2 May) phone call the White House said was "very good".

In a statement seen by The Hill, The White House said the pair: "Agreed that the suffering in Syria has gone on for far too long and that all parties must do all they can to end the violence."

The leaders' conversation came after a spat between Washington and Moscow over the US decision to bomb a Syrian air base in response to a chemical attack on civilians.

It marks the first time the pair have spoken since Moscow denounced Washington's decision to strike Syrian positions in March.

It is the third time Trump and Putin have spoken over the telephone since the former took office.

As well as involvement in Syria, the leaders discussed working together to tackle tensions with North Korea, a White House statement adding the pair discussed dealing with "how best to resolve the very dangerous situation" there.

Trump and Putin are expected to meet over the summer, potentially at the G20 summit.

Their phone call came as Putin spoke with German chancellor Angela Merkel during her trip to Russia, with conversation topics including violence against gay men in Chechnya.