Washington, May 7 (IANS): US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held a phone conversation, discussing issues of arms control and COVID-19, the US State Department said in a statement.

Pompeo and his Russian counterpart discussed next steps on arms control issues as well as several bilateral issues of mutual concern, including global efforts to respond to the spread of COVID-19, according to the statement released on Wednesday, Xinhua news agency reported.

"In my discussion with #Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov, I affirmed that we are ready to engage in arms control negotiations that advance the security of the United States and our partners," the top US diplomat tweeted later in the day.

"We'll continue to push for mechanisms that are verifiable and enforceable," he added.

In 2010, Washington and Moscow signed the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), which stipulates the limits to the numbers of deployed nuclear warheads and strategic delivery systems by both. The New START, the last remaining nuclear arms control treaty in force between the two nuclear superpowers, expires on February 5, 2021.

The agreement can be extended for at most five years with the consent of the two countries. Russia has expressed willingness to extend the treaty, while the Donald Trump administration has yet to officially reply.