In this Nov 17, 2016 file photo, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (left) and US Secretary of State John Kerry (right) answer reporters questions after their bilateral meeting at the APEC Ministers Summit in Lima, Peru. (MARK RALSTON / AFP / POOL)

MOSCOW - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov discussed climate change with US climate envoy John Kerry on Saturday, with the pair agreeing to cooperate further within the Arctic Council, the Russian foreign ministry said.

The phone conversation came amid tensions between Moscow and the West

The phone conversation came amid tensions between Moscow and the West. Lavrov said on Friday that Russia would be ready to sever ties with the European Union if the bloc imposed painful economic sanctions.

Lavrov told Kerry he welcomes the new US administration’s intention to rejoin the Paris Agreement, the global treaty committing nearly 200 countries to halt rising temperatures quickly enough to avoid disastrous climate change.

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Donald Trump withdrew the US from the agreement, calling it a “disaster” for America.