Washington, June 26 (RHC)-- Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Barack Obama had their first direct contact in four months as Moscow and Washington try to manage their conflict over Ukraine while still working together on other issues like Syria and Iran’s nuclear program.

The Russian president initiated the call, the first between the estranged leaders since February, according to reports. Putin brought up the war against the Islamic State in Syria and the two leaders agreed to have U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to discuss how to counter the spread of radicalism in the Middle East. They also reportedly discussed the Iran talks in advance of next week’s deadline for an agreement.