President Donald Trump said Tuesday he had congratulated Russian President Vladimir Putin on his election win in a “very good call,” despite escalating tensions over the Kremlin’s alleged interference in the 2016 presidential election and poisoning of a former Russian spy in the U.K., a close U.S. ally.

The call came one day after the White House said there were no plans to congratulate Mr. Putin, who easily won a presidential election Sunday in which he faced no real competition. Both leaders have spoken of a desire for better relations, even as Western capitals have tried to isolate Russia over a raft of disputes.

Mr. Trump said he and Mr. Putin had discussed meeting to address issues including the conflicts in Ukraine and Syria and the nuclear threat posed by North Korea. The Kremlin confirmed the call and said the leaders had discussed topics including combating international terrorism and preventing an arms race.

“I suspect that we’ll probably be meeting in the not-too-distant future,” Mr. Trump told reporters Tuesday in an Oval Office meeting with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The president said he also expected to discuss with Mr. Putin the “arms race,” and vowed that the U.S. would “remain stronger than any other nation.”

Mr. Trump’s congratulatory call was sharply criticized by one leading U.S. lawmaker in a statement Tuesday.