Despite continued opposition over the crisis in Ukraine, The United States and Russia promised Tuesday to cooperate on a number of global security concerns, including intelligence-sharing regarding ISIS militants.
Secretary of State John Kerry spoke for three hours with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on how the two countries should manage differences and better partner on issues where each agree, reported the Associated Press.
From tackling radical Islamists in the Middle East to handling a possible Iranian and North Korean threat, Kerry stated that both countries share "major responsibilities" as super powers.
Both Kerry and Lavrov confirmed that intelligence-sharing on ISIS will soon begin, saying the nations "can cooperate better together to increase the effectiveness of settling problems for larger society. That especially concerns the fight against terrorism, which has now become the main threat to the whole Middle East."
However, as part of the deal, Kerry said Russia must order forces and weapons out of Ukrainian clashes, and must also release any hostages.
"The tone of Kerry's news conference harkened back to the Obama administration's first term, when Obama sought to reset ties between Washington and Moscow that were badly frayed by the 2008 war in Georgia and other tensions," wrote the Associated Press. "The spirit of goodwill yielded a nuclear arms reduction pact and some other diplomatic successes, but the relationship became increasingly defined by hostility after Vladimir Putin's return to the presidency in 2012. The Ukraine crisis sent them to a post-Cold War low."
But Ukraine only played a minor roll in the talks as the majority of concerns were focused on ISIS, reported the Associated Press, with Kerry saying the group has "absolutely no place in the 21st century."
"No civilized country should shirk its responsibility to stand up and be a part of this effort," he stated.
To help combat ISIS, Russia will also provide arms and equipment to the Iraqi army, Kerry said.
