WASHINGTON, March 2 (Xinhua) -- The White House said on Friday that U.S. President Donald Trump spoked on Thursday in separate calls with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron on the issues of Syria and Russia.
The White House said in a statement that the three leaders agreed the urgency for relevant parties to fully implement an immediate ceasefire across Syria as requested by the UN Security Council resolutions.
They also called on Russia to stop bombing Eastern Ghouta, a major rebel-hold enclave close to Syrian capital Damascus, and prevent the deteriorating human rights conditions in the region.
In the calls, the leaders "shared their serious concerns over Russian President Vladimir Putin's recent statements on nuclear weapons development, which they agreed detract from productive discussion of a range of issues between Russia and the West," said the statement.
Putin delivered his annual address to the parliament Thursday and said that Russia has begun testing Sarmat, a new type of intercontinental ballistic missile, which has "practically no range limits" as it is capable of attacking across both the South and North Poles.