MOSCOW (dpa-AFX) - Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has called on the Russian government to take steps to reduce the levels of violence in eastern Ukraine.
In a phone call with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday, Tillerson requested that Russia return its representatives to the Joint Center on Coordination and Control and lower the level of violence.
A statement from State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert noted the request underscored the U.S. concern with the rising violence in eastern Ukraine.
Tillerson and Lavrov also discussed concerns related to North Korea's nuclear program and emphasized that neither the U.S. nor Russia accepts the reclusive communist nation as a nuclear power.
'Both sides agreed that they will continue to work toward a diplomatic solution to achieve a denuclearized Korean peninsula,' Nauert said.
The two nations' top diplomats also discussed the importance of supporting the Geneva process to achieve a peaceful resolution of the Syrian conflict.
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX