A telephone conversation between the presidents of two countries occurred on Wednesday, January 13, according to the Kremlin website.

The American side was the initiator of the negotiations.

The two leaders discussed the situation in the East of Ukraine, the Middle East problem with a focus on possible solutions to the crisis in Syria, as well as the difficult situation on the Korean Peninsula.

Putin and Obama called to reduce tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

As reported by the journalists from the press pool of the US President, Obama also raised an issue concerning the possible support of separatists in the Eastern Ukraine: “Josh Earnest (official White house Press Secretary – ed.) said that the President spoke with Putin, and that “a substantial part” of the conversation was devoted to urge Russians to stop their support of separatists in the East of Ukraine”, according to RIA Novosti.

The last phone conversation between Putin and Obama happened in June 2015, and a personal communication was at the end of November in Paris during the United Nations Climate Change Conference.