This combo photo shows US President Joe Biden, left, speaking in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, DC on Jan 20, 2021 and and Russian President Vladimir Putin holding his annual press conference in Moscow on Dec 19, 2019. (PHOTO / AFP)

MOSCOW / WASHINGTON - Russian President Vladimir Putin held his first telephone conversation with US President Joe Biden on Tuesday, where the leaders addressed developments in key military agreements and cooperation on international issues, the Kremlin said.

The two presidents welcomed their exchange of diplomatic notes on an agreement regarding the extension of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty. In the coming days both sides will complete all necessary procedures for the functioning of this important mechanism, the Kremlin said in a statement.

Signed in 2010, the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty is a cornerstone of global arms control.

It limits the number of strategic nuclear warheads deployed by the United States and Russia to 1,550 each as well as the number of land- and submarine-based missiles and bombers that deliver them.

The Kremlin declared the breakthrough, which was widely anticipated, in a statement announcing that Putin and Biden had spoken for the first time since Biden took office on Jan 20.

Putin and Biden further covered several topics on the international agenda, including the withdrawal of the United States from the Open Skies Treaty and other issues of concern such as the restoration of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on the Iranian nuclear program and the Ukrainian settlement

ALSO READ: Putin hopes for improved relations with Washington

Putin and Biden further covered several topics on the international agenda, including the withdrawal of the United States from the Open Skies Treaty and other issues of concern such as the restoration of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on the Iranian nuclear program and the Ukrainian settlement.

Bilateral trade and economic cooperation was also discussed, as well as possibilities of cooperation in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

Putin congratulated Biden on the start of his term as the president of the United States and further stressed that "the normalization of relations" would be in the interests of both countries, especially considering "their special responsibility for maintaining security and stability in the world."

READ MORE: Kremlin accuses US of meddling in affairs, but says ready to talk

White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki announced the phone call between the two leaders at her daily briefing, reports Reuters from Washington. It came as Biden adjusts US policy in a more robust way toward Russia after his predecessor, Donald Trump refused to take on Putin directly.

At the same time, Biden sought to repair the strained alliance between the United States and Europe by stressing in a phone call with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg that Washington would abide by the NATO treaty’s mutual defense pact.

“President Biden reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to collective defense under Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty and underscored his commitment to strengthening transatlantic security,” a White House statement said.

With Reuters inputs