Obama calls up Putin, asks him to stop Russian jets bombing Syria

A day after Russia said that relations between Moscow and Washington were sinking fast, US President Barack Obama urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop the air raids against Syrian opposition forces during a phone call.

According the CNN, the White House said that Obama stressed on the "the importance of rapidly implementing humanitarian access to besieged areas of Syria and initiating a nationwide cessation of hostilities."

"President Obama emphasized the importance now of Russia playing a constructive role by ceasing its air campaign against moderate opposition forces in Syria," the White House said in a statement.

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U.S. maintains that Russia's air campaign has killed scores of civilians and jeopardizes the prospects of a peace accord in the civil war-wracked nation.

According to the White House, Obama also urged combined Russian-separatist forces to fulfill their Minsk obligations, especially adhering to the cease-fire, in reference to the long-ignored Minsk peace accord that was agreed to a year ago.