Russian President Vladimir Putin phoned US President Barack Obama on Thursday, their first call since February, to discuss the Iran nuclear talks, "the increasingly dangerous situation in Syria" and the need to counter Islamic State militants, the White House said in a statement.
"The leaders discussed the increasingly dangerous situation in Syria, and underscored the importance of continued P5+1 (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany) unity in ongoing negotiations to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon," the White House said, Reuters reported.
Iran denies its nuclear program may have any military objectives, saying the work is solely for peaceful purposes such as power generation and medical research.
Obama also told Putin that Russia needs to live to up to the terms of a ceasefire deal with Ukraine, "including the removal of all Russian troops and equipment from Ukrainian territory."
