The Kremlin on Monday praised the "exemplary cooperation" between US and Russian security services after the CIA helped thwart a terror attack on a landmark cathedral in Saint Petersburg. "There are certain sporadic contacts between our security services but in this particular instance this (was) rather useful information that helped save many lives," Putins spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on a conference call. "And certainly it cannot but cause satisfaction and gratitude," Peskov added. "These are the standards we should aspire to so that they determine the future course." In a phone call with US President Donald Trump on Sunday, Kremlin strongman Vladimir Putin expressed his gratitude for intelligence which allowed Russias FSB security service to prevent attacks on the Kazan Cathedral, one of the best known symbols of Saint Petersburg, and other places. FSB said last week it had arrested seven ISIS members who had been planning terror attacks in crowded areas of Russias former Imperial capital. In his phone conversation with Trump, Putin also pledged that Russian security agencies would pass on any information received about terrorist threats to the United States and its citizens. The White House said the foiled attack could have killed "large numbers of people." It stressed that the cooperation "serves as an example of the positive things that can occur when our countries work together."