WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday for the first time since taking office and raised concerns about Russian activities including the treatment of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, the White House said.
White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki announced the phone call between the two leaders at her daily briefing.
She said topics included Biden’s proposal to extend the New START nuclear arms treaty with Russia for five years and U.S. “strong support for Ukraine sovereignty” in the face of ongoing Russian aggression.
(Reporting By Trevor Hunnicutt and Steve Holland; Editing by Chris Reese)
