Russian President Vladimir Putin telephoned U.S. President Barack Obama on June 25, their first call since February, to discuss the Iran nuclear talks, Syria, and the need to counter the Islamic State militant group, the White House said.
"The leaders discussed the increasingly dangerous situation in Syria, and underscored the importance of continued unity [among world powers] in ongoing negotiations to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon," the White House said.
Obama also told Putin that Russia needs to live to up to the terms of a cease-fire deal in Ukraine, "including the removal of all Russian troops and equipment from Ukrainian territory," the White House said.
The Kremlin said the presidents agreed that senior diplomats Victoria Nuland and Grigory Karasin would be in contact to discuss implementation of the Minsk agreements on a cease-fire and peaceful settlement of the conflict.
The call came on the same day NATO's supreme allied commander cited a continuous flow of ammunition and other military supplies from Russia across the border to Ukraine.