Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin thaw on Syria, try for meeting, by AP.

Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have flagged better co-­operation in Syria in what the White House called a “very good” phone discussion that included a focus on setting up safe zones in the war-torn nation.

The Kremlin said the Presidents agreed to try to set up their first in-person meeting in July, on the sidelines of an international summit in Germany. The White House confirmed that information. …

The leaders appeared to again be edging towards co-operation after yesterday’s call. The Kremlin said Mr Trump and Mr Putin agreed to bolster diplomatic efforts to resolve the Syrian civil war …

Mr Putin, who met earlier on Tuesday with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, denied that Moscow interfered in other countries’ elections. He said accusations of Russian meddling aimed at helping Mr Trump in his race against Mrs Clinton were “simply ­rumours” being used as part of a political fight in Washington.

Mr Trump has denied nefarious ties to Moscow, calling the Russian probes a “hoax”. Yesterday’s call was the third time Mr Trump and Mr Putin are known to have talked since January.

hat-tip Stephen Neil