Donald Trump has called Russian President Vladimir Putin to congratulate him on his election victory, but did not discuss the recent nerve-agent attack in Britain, the Kremlin said.

A press release from Mr Putin's office said the two leaders had talked on Tuesday "at the initiative of the American side". The two did not discuss the poisoning of a Russian double agent in Salisbury, which British officials have said was "highly likely" tied to the Kremlin, Mr Putin's press secretary told Interfax.

Mr Trump confirmed that the two had spoken, telling reporters at a press conference that he planned to meet with Mr Putin in the "not too distant future" to talk about the global rams race and tensions with North Korea. He did not mention the attack.

Mr Putin's  office said he and Mr Trump had discussed everything from terrorism to energy development. The call was "constructive, businesslike and focused on overcoming the accumulated problems in Russian-American relations," the Kremlin said in a statement.

The call came shortly after British Prime Minister Theresa May chastised Mr Putin over the poisoning of double agent Sergei Skripal. The Russian president has denied any involvement in the attack, which left Mr Skripal and his daughter in critical condition. But Ms May said on Monday there was "no other conclusion but the Russia state is culpable for what happened on the streets of Salisbury".

The prime minister expelled 23 Russian diplomats as a result.