US President Obama urged Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in a one-hour phone call Thursday to pursue a diplomatic solution to his military incursion into Crimea.

Obama proposed that the governments of Ukraine and Russia should hold direct talks, facilitated by the international community, as well as a pullback of troops to pre-existing Russian bases, international monitors to protect the rights of all populations in Ukraine, including ethnic Russians, and support for new Ukrainian elections in May, the White House said in a statement about the conversation with Putin.

President Obama emphasized that Russia's actions are in violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

President Obama indicated that Secretary Kerry would continue discussions with Foreign Minister Lavrov, the government of Ukraine, and other international partners in the days to come to advance those objectives, the statement said.

This is the second time in six days that President Putin has spoken on the telephone to Barack Obama, but the pair remained far apart over Ukraine, euronews reports.

However a Kremlin statement said that President Putin stressed that relations between his country and the US are too important for global stability and security to suffer because of the crisis.

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!