Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke to U.S. President Donald Trump by telephone on Monday and the two leaders discussed efforts to bridge differences between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
Putin, who addressed the phone conversation with Trump at the start of a meeting in Moscow with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, also said that the situation in the region was a long way from the one Moscow wanted to see.
The White House said that during their conversation, Trump reiterated his assertion that now is the time to work toward a lasting peace agreement.
Trump also offered his condolences, following a deadly plane crash outside Moscow on Sunday that killed all 71 people on board.
The White House said Trump assured Putin that the United States was "standing by to assist Russian authorities in their investigation" into why the airliner crashed.
Trump and Putin last spoke in December, when Putin called Trump to thank him for a CIA tip that was said to have helped thwart bombings in St. Petersburg.
