Readout of the President’s call with Russian President Medvedev

President Obama spoke with President Medvedev earlier today by phone.  President Obama informed President Medvedev that he was sending the New START Treaty to the United States Senate for its consideration later in the day.  The Presidents stressed the importance of completing the ratification process in both countries as soon as possible.  The Presidents discussed our common efforts to advance peace in the Middle East, with President Medvedev sharing his impressions from his recent trip to the region.  The Presidents also discussed the good progress being made by the P5+1 towards agreement on a UN Security Council resolution on Iran and agreed to instruct their negotiators to intensify their efforts to reach conclusion as soon as possible.