(CNN) -- President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin went to great lengths to portray their phone call Friday as evidence the two leaders were working together to stabilize the situation in Ukraine. Absent were the accusations they traded the past two months over the future of the former Soviet republic. The Obama administration continues to dismiss the notion of a new Cold War with Russia. But the louder their protests, the more apparent the chill has become. It was on display Saturday in widely differing characterizations of a telephone conversation between Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, after news broke that Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych left the capital because of what he described as a "coup."
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NEW: John Kerry and his Russian counterpart give differing views of conversation
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Obama administration continues to dismiss notion of new Cold War with Russia
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John Kerry said in December that U.S., Russia weren't engaged in bidding war over Ukraine
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White House says Ukraine conflict not reminiscent of 'proxy conflicts of the Cold War era'
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