Putin, Obama discuss situations in Mideast, Ukraine, Korean Peninsula over phone

MOSCOW -- Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Barack Obama on Wednesday discussed the situations in the Middle East, Ukraine and on the Korean Peninsula in a phone conversation, the Kremlin press service said.

 
The two leaders agreed that the recent nuclear test conducted by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, if confirmed, is a gross violation of the United Nations Security Council's resolutions, and must be given tough international response.

Pyongyang said last Wednesday that it had successfully tested its first H-bomb. It marks the fourth nuclear tests in total, after atomic bomb detonations in 2006, 2009 and 2013.

 
On the protracted conflict in eastern Ukraine, Putin emphasized that Kiev must fully abide by its obligations under the Minsk agreement, conduct direct dialogue with Donbass, coordinate constitutional reform with the region, and bring into force laws on special status and amnesty.

 
On the fight against the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group, Putin stressed the need to form a broad coalition to battle the IS and other extremist groups, and called for the speedy preparation of list of terrorist organizations, while noting that there should be no double standards in this vetting process.

 
The two leaders also discussed military cooperation on fighting radical Islamism in the Middle East.

With respect to the ongoing spat between Saudi Arabia and Iran triggered by Riyadh's execution of a prominent Shiite cleric, the leaders urged both sides to de-escalate the tensions.