Trump, Putin discuss Syrian crisis, DPRK in 1st call after bickering over Syria strike

Combination of file photos show Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Dec 29, 2016 and US President Donald Trump at a press conference at the White House in Washington DC, the United States, on Feb 15, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua]

WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin discussed the Syrian crisis and fighting terrorism in the Middle East, the White House said on Tuesday.

The two leaders also discussed "the very dangerous situation" on the Korean Peninsula, the White House said in a statement.

"The conversation was a very good one, and included the discussion of safe, or de-escalation, zones to achieve lasting peace for humanitarian and many other reasons," said the statement, adding that they also discussed "at length working together" to fight terrorism across the Middle East.

The United States would send a representative to the cease-fire talks in Astana, Kazakhstan on May 3-4, the statement added.

It was the first phone call between Trump and Putin since Washington and Moscow wrangled over a US strike on the Syrian government last month.

On April 6, Trump ordered a targeted missile strike at a Syrian military airfield in response to a chemical weapons attack in the rebel-held Syrian town of Khan Sheikhoun.

After the US strike, Syrian state TV called the assault an "aggression" and both Russia and Syria had denied that the Syrian government launched the chemical weapons attack.

The Russian government also condemned the US strike against the Syrian government as "aggression against a sovereign state in violation of international law."

After the incident, Trump told reporters last month that the United States is "not getting along with Russia at all" and the relations between the two countries "may be at an all-time low."