Trump, Putin agree to strengthen cooperation in Syria, anti-terrorism

HELSINKI -- US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Monday agreed to cooperate in issues concerning conflict in Syria, anti-terrorism and nuclear disarmament.

The "scourge of radical Islamic terrorism" was also discussed at the meeting, Trump said at the press conference after the first one-on-one bilateral meeting of the two leaders, adding they agreed to work together to deal with the issue, he said.

Trump said radical Islamic terrorism made both countries suffer. They have agreed to maintain open communication between security agencies to protect their citizens from this global menace.

"As we have discussed, the crisis in Syria is a complex one. But our cooperation between the two countries has the potential to save hundreds of thousands of lives," said Trump.

Putin called on the United States to work together to resolve the Syrian conflict. "Russia and the US can take the lead on this issue in this country and work together to overcome the humanitarian crisis."

Putin said the two presidents considered it necessary to further work together to work out the entire complex of the military-political and disarmament dossier, including the extension of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, the dangerous situation surrounding the development of elements of the global system of American missile defense, and the implementation of the Treaty on the Elimination of Intermediate-Range and Shorter-Range Missiles as well as avoiding weapons being placed in space.