Defense Ministers of Russia and the United States spoke by phone for the first time since the Ukraine war broke out

This is the call Russian-American telephone conversation the first between the heads of defense of the two countries since Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine at the end of February 2022.

This information was confirmed by both sides on May 13.

In a statement, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said that US Defense Secretary Austin had called on Russia to immediately cease fire in Ukraine, and stressed the importance of maintaining lines of communication. contact between the two countries” after nearly 3 months without contact with his Russian counterpart.

Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry later confirmed the call, noting that the two sides discussed international security issues, not limited to the Ukraine situation. Accordingly, the statement of the Russian Defense Ministry said that Minister Shoigu and Minister Austin discussed international security issues, including the situation in Ukraine.

A destroyed tank after a skirmish in Ukraine. (Image: Getty)

The phone call lasted for an hour, although it did not bring about any change to the call conflict in Ukraine However, it is still considered an important step in efforts to keep the lines of communication open between the two countries.

It is known that the last time Mr. Austin and Mr. Shoigu had a phone conversation was on February 18.

In a related development, John Kirby said that the US Defense Secretary had ordered the deployment of 10,500 US troops to replace the troops that were previously deployed in Europe in the context of Russia stepping up its offensive. Ukraine. However, this deployment will not last long and these forces will not be involved in the war in Ukraine.

According to CNN, a US defense official said that the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Mark Milley, is expected to contact his Russian counterpart Valery Gerasimov to request a phone call. The two officials last spoke by phone on February 11.

Relations between Russia and the United States have fallen to their lowest point since the Cold War after Russia’s military attack on Ukraine.

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