Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad held a telephone conversation to discuss Syrian settlement issues.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad held a telephone conversation to discuss Syrian settlement issues, the Kremlin’s press-service said.

"Various aspects of the Syrian crisis were discussed in the light of the tasks to implement the statement Russia and the United States made as co-chairs of the International Syria Support Group on the cessation of hostilities in Syria as of February 27, 2016," the Kremlin said.

"Assad described the proposals contained in the aforesaid statement as an important stride towards a political settlement. In part, he confirmed the Syrian government’s preparedness to promote truce," the statement runs.

Putin and Assad underscored the importance of uncompromising struggle against the so-called 'Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant' (ISIL), al-Nusra Front and other terrorist groups included in the corresponding list of the UN Security Council, the Kremlin said.

According to the press service, Assad assessed the Russian-US joint statement as an important step towards settlement in Syria and confirmed his readiness to cooperate.