'In letter to Trump, Vladimir Putin sought new level of US-Russia ties'

Washington: Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a letter to US President-elect Donald Trump this month, sought bilateral cooperation and a "new level" of US-Russian relations, according to a copy of the letter released by Trump's team on Friday.

"I hope that ... we will be able – by acting in a constructive and pragmatic manner - to take real steps to restore the framework of bilateral cooperation in different areas as well as bring our level of collaboration on the international scene to a qualitatively new level," Putin wrote in the December 15 letter, according to Trump's transition team.

Trump, in an accompanying statement, said he hoped both countries could "live up to these thoughts" rather than "have to travel an alternative path".