The discussion also included the topic of Ukraine: the head of the Pentagon spoke with the Russian Minister of Defense

The discussion also included the topic of Ukraine: the head of the Pentagon spoke with Russian Defense Minister Vladislav Kravtsov

Austin talked on the phone phone with Belousov/Collage 24 Channel (photo by Getty Images and from open sources)

Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin had a telephone conversation with Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov on June 25. During the conversation between the ministers, the topic of Ukraine was also raised.

Pentagon Speaker Pat Ryder spoke about this during the briefing. He said that the American and Russian ministers raised a number of questions during the conversation, reports 24 Channel.

Austin and Belousov discussed Ukraine over the phone

Ryder noted that Austin, during a conversation with Belousov, discussed the war in Ukraine with him and stressed the importance of maintaining lines of communication between the US and Russian departments.

When asked who exactly initiated the call, a Pentagon spokesman replied that it was Lloyd Austin.

Pat Ryder also said that the United States does not plan to send its military to fight in Ukraine, thereby repeating the words of US President Joe Biden.

It is worth noting that the last time the US and Russian defense ministers communicated was in March 2023, when Sergei Shoigu was still in office.

What was the topic of the conversation between Shoigu and the head of the Pentagon

• The US and Russian defense ministers before this had a telephone conversation on March 15, 2023. Then the topic of conversation was the shooting down of an American drone in the Black Sea.
• The head of the Pentagon also emphasized that he conveyed an important message to Sergei Shoigu. Austin said that the United States will continue to fly where international law allows.
• In turn, Shoigu stated that Russia “does not want escalation” with the United States. But he assured that Russia “will respond to all threats.”