Theresa May has held her first telephone call with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, and the two leaders could meet face-to-face in China next month, Downing Street has confirmed. The leaders agreed to intensify “joint work on a number of fronts”, including air transport safety, the Kremlin added. But she stressed the importance of maintaining engagement with Russia over issues including the Syrian conflict. As home secretary, May declined to pursue punitive measures against Moscow earlier this year over the poisoning of former spy Alexander Litvinenko in London a decade ago, despite a public inquiry suggesting the Russian state had ordered the killing. A statement from the Kremlin hinted at the possibility of a thaw, however.

Source: The Guardian August 09, 2016 22:21 UTC