The Russian and US defence ministers discussed “reducing the risk of escalation” in a phone call two days after Washington announced it was deploying long-range missiles in Germany, both sides said.
During a telephone conversation between Russian Minister Andrei Belusov and his North American counterpart Lloyd Austin, which took place at Russia’s initiative, “the issue of preventing security threats and reducing the risk of possible escalation was discussed,” the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.
Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh, for her part, told the press that Austin stressed “the importance of maintaining lines of communication” with Moscow in the midst of the conflict in Ukraine and immediately after the NATO summit in Washington.