WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama sought to allay German concerns Tuesday over allegations of espionage, pledging to work to improve cooperation during his first conversation with Germany’s leader since two Germans were revealed to have spied on their country for the United States.

Seeking to play down the growing rift, the White House said only that Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel had “exchanged views on U.S.-German intelligence cooperation” and that Obama had said he’d stay in close touch about intelligence cooperation going forward. The White House said the rest of the call focused on other global conflicts in Ukraine and Iran.