Russia's Putin tells Obama he wants better ties: Kremlin

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin called for better relations with the United States on Friday in a congratulatory message to President Barack Obama marking U.S. Independence Day.

"Putin also highlighted that Russia and the United States, as countries carrying exceptional responsibility for safeguarding international stability and security, should cooperate ... in the interests of the whole world," the Kremlin said in a statement.

(Reporting by Gabriela Baczynska, Editing by Timothy Heritage)