Obama, Putin discuss Syria, Iran

US President Barack Obama has phoned Russian President Vladimir Putin Friday, welcoming Russian cooperation on international efforts to confront Iran's nuclear ambitions.

The White House says the two men also discussed the ongoing violence in Syria, a topic that still divides Washington and Moscow.

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The White House said Putin and Obama agreed to hold their own meeting in June on the sidelines of the upcoming G-8 meeting in Northern Ireland. Obama also told Putin he looked forward to visiting St. Petersburg for the G-20 meeting in September.

Obama, Putin (Photo: AP)

The White House added that Putin and Obama welcome "substantive and constructive consultations" by Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov over a political transition in Syria.

The US and Russian leaders' conversation followed a meeting of US Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, who met for the first time Tuesday, spending more than an hour discussing the civil war in Syria and other joint matters.

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