US President Joseph Biden, in a phone call this Sunday, urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to release Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters today.
Biden discussed a range of issues with Putin, from alleged meddling in the 2020 election, Ukraine's sovereignty, and the SolarWind and Navalny cyberattacks, Reuters reports.
Saki said yesterday that during the phone call, Biden did not hold back from expressing his concerns about the actions of the Russian government.
Earlier this week, a White House statement said the two leaders agreed that their teams would urgently agree on an extension of the New START arms control agreement between the US and Russia by February 2, once the current agreement expires.
The arms control treaty limits the US and Russia to each deploying 1.550 strategic nuclear warheads.
Details of the phone call and what was discussed were released at a time when Biden is making a firmer stance on US policy towards Russia, after his predecessor Donald Trump refused to confront Putin.
Bonus video:
