Biden, Putin discuss ties as both sides trade files to extend nuclear pact

US President Joe Biden has spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin in a phone call for the first time since taking office, as Biden adjusts Washington's policy in a more robust way toward Russia after his predecessor, Donald Trump refused to take on Putin directly.

White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki announced the phone call between the two leaders at her daily briefing on Tuesday, saying Biden raised concerns about Russian activities including the treatment of jailed Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny. 

She said topics included Biden's proposal to extend the New START nuclear arms treaty with Russia for five years and the US' "strong support for Ukraine sovereignty" in the face of ongoing Russian aggression.

Biden also voiced concern about the massive Solar Winds cyber hack blamed on Russia and reports that Russians offered bounties to Taliban insurgents for killing US troops in Afghanistan.

READ MORE: Russia welcomes US offer to extend nuclear treaty

Putin supports 'normalisation' of ties

Putin said he supports "normalisation" of relations between their two countries, the Kremlin said in a statement.

Putin "noted that the normalisation of relations between Russia and the US would meet the interests of both countries" and "the entire international community," the statement said.

Moscow reached out last week to request the call, according to US officials. Biden agreed but wanted first to prepare with his staff and speak with European allies, including the leaders of Britain, France, and Germany.

And on Tuesday before his call with Putin, Biden spoke to NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, pledging the United States' commitment to the decades-old alliance founded as a bulwark against Russian aggression.

READ MORE: Are Russians fed up with Vladimir Putin?

New START nuclear treaty

The Kremlin said that Russia and the US exchanged documents to extend the New START nuclear treaty on Tuesday.

Both sides will now complete the necessary formalities in the coming days, the Kremlin said.

Lawmakers in the Kremlin-controlled parliament said it would complete the necessary moves to extend the pact this week.

Last week, Biden proposed a five-year extension of the New START treaty that is set to expire on February 5, and the Kremlin quickly welcomed the offer.

READ MORE: US offers to extend New START nuclear arms treaty with Russia

US-Russia tensions

Biden indicated during the campaign that he favoured the preservation of the New START treaty, which was negotiated during his tenure as US vice president.

Russia has long proposed to prolong the pact without any conditions or changes, but the Trump administration waited until last year to start talks and made the extension contingent on a set of demands. 

The talks stalled, and months of bargaining have failed to narrow differences.

The negotiations were also marred by tensions between Russia and the US, which have been fuelled by the Ukrainian crisis, Moscow’s alleged meddling in the 2016 US presidential election, and other irritants.

After both Moscow and Washington withdrew from the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty in 2019, New START is the only remaining nuclear arms control deal between the two countries.

The treaty, signed in 2010 by President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, limits each country to no more than 1,550 deployed nuclear warheads and 700 deployed missiles and bombers and envisages sweeping on-site inspections to verify compliance. 

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