Pentagon chief, Russian defense minister discuss open lines of communication
FILE PHOTO: U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin attends a press conference during a NATO defence ministers' meeting at the Alliance's headquarters in Brussels, Belgium June 14, 2024. REUTERS/Johanna Geron/File Photo
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov by phone on Tuesday and discussed the importance of open lines of communication, the Pentagon said on Tuesday.
FILE PHOTO: Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov attends a wreath-laying ceremony marking the anniversary of the Nazi German invasion into Soviet Union in World War Two, on the Remembrance and Sorrow Day at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier by the Kremlin wall in Moscow, Russia June 22, 2024. Sputnik/Alexander Kazakov/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
Pentagon spokesperson Air Force Major General Patrick Ryder told reporters that Austin had initiated the conversation and that it was the first call between Austin and his Russian counterpart since March 2023.
(Reporting by Idrees Ali)