A planned phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his American counterpart, Donald Trump, is scheduled to take place at 12:00 noon EST (17:00 GMT) Saturday, the White House press service reported on Friday. US Vice President Mike Pence will also take part in the conversation between the two leaders, the White House announced. Earlier, Kremlin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed the conversation had been arranged for Saturday, without giving any details about the call’s agenda. “Let’s be patient,” Peskov said, adding that the call is unlikely to lead to any breakthrough in bilateral relations, taking into account that it will be the first official talks scheduled between the presidents.

US President Donald Trump has said, he wants a great relationship with Russia, but would not say if he would lift US sanctions against the country.

He said in Washington that it is very early to talk about the sanctions imposed on Russia by his predecessor. Mr Trump said, if a strong relationship can be established with Russia, it would be a great asset.

President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will speak today. According to the White House and Kremlin, both the leaders are expected to discuss bilateral affairs and national security in the first call since the inauguration.