MOSCOW, December 30. /TASS/. Equality and mutual respect should be basic in development of relations between Russia and the U.S., and a constructive dialogue between Moscow and Washington is necessary for strengthening of the world’s strategic stability, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said in a Christmas and New Year greeting to the U.S. counterpart Donald Trump.

"In his message of greetings to President of the United States of America Donald Trump, Mr Putin noted, among other things, his strong belief that in the current challenging international environment, it is especially important for Russia and the US to engage in constructive dialogue with a view to enhancing global strategic stability and finding the best solutions to the global challenges and threats. The President of Russia stressed the importance of the principles of equality and mutual respect as the foundation for developing bilateral relations," the Kremlin said.

"This would allow us to make progress in promoting pragmatic cooperation designed for the long term," the greeting reads.

Within Trump’s first year in the office, the Russian and American leaders had a few telephone conversations and two meetings. Their first meeting was on July 8 on the sidelines of the G20 summit. The second meeting was expected at the APEC summit in Vietnam in November, but did not happen, and the presidents could only have several brief conversations "on feet.".