(VOVworld) – Russia and the US have managed to find some common ground and move forward to address both bilateral and international issues.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) speaks with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry ahead of a meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia December 15, 2015. (Photo: Reuters/Sergei Karpukhin)

In a meeting with visiting US Secretary of State John Kerry in Moscow on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin hailed Kerry’s visits as it will help to narrow gaps in Moscow and Washington’s positions on serious problems. In response, Kerry credited the cooperation between the two countries for some successes in the conflict in Syria, which has made a difference to the life of people in Syria and to the possibilities of making progress on peace.

Earlier, Kerry met with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov. The two foreign ministers acknowledged that both countries have made a number of practical steps to tackle the Syrian crisis, including the current partial ceasefire. Kerry said Russia and the US could still cooperation to deal with common challenges despite remaining differences.