Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov takes his seat during a joint news conference with Yemeni Foreign Minister Abdel-Malek al-Mekhlafi following their meeting in Moscow, Russia January 22, 2018. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov discussed the ongoing crises in Syria, North Korea and Ukraine in a call on Wednesday, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said.

“On Syria, the two discussed Russia’s role in ensuring the Assad regime plays a constructive role in the UN-led Geneva process,” Nauert said in statement. Tillerson also pressed “all parties” to implement UN-led action on North Korea and called for an end to escalating violence in Ukraine, she added.