MINSK, July 8. /TASS/. The first personal meeting between Russian and US Presidents, Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, was essential for revival of relations between the two countries, a senior Russian lawmaker said on Friday.

"A personal meeting between the two heads of state has major significance for the solution of the complicated tasks of revival of relations between Russia and the United States," said Pyotr Tolstoy, a deputy speaker of the Russian State Duma lower parliament house and head of the Russian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). "I am happy that such a meeting has taken place. All agreed that it was held in a constructive atmosphere and exceeded its original timeframes."

He noted that the two leaders had "outlined first steps on such sensitive matters as Ukraine, Syria, cyber security, anti-terrorism efforts." "Russia and the United States could have made bigger progress on these dossiers if the United States had a more constructive position one, two, three years ago. It’s good that mutual understanding on how to tackle these major international problems has now been reached."

According to Tolstoy, of major importance is the fact that the two presidents have agreed on a direct contact between special envoys for Ukraine. "Obviously, it is necessary to speak with those who make decisions but not with those who implement them. That is why I think such contact is a constructive step. It is also important that the two presidents confirmed that the implementation of the Minsk agreements is the guarantee and the only path to peace in Ukraine," he said, adding that their commitment to Syria’s territorial integrity is also very important in the context of Russia’s and the coalition’s anti-terror efforts.