The Pentagon announced on Friday (July 12) that the U.S. and Russian defense ministers had a phone call, marking the second call in two weeks. The last call was at the end of June when Russia accused the U.S. of providing weapons to Ukraine.
Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh stated at a press briefing that U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov held the call initiated by Russia.
Singh emphasized the importance of maintaining communication channels between the U.S. and Russia in the context of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. She declined to provide further details about the call.
Russia has been fully involved in the invasion of Ukraine for over two years. Prior to the end of June this year, the defense ministers of the U.S. and Russia had not communicated for over a year.
According to AFP, the Russian Defense Ministry stated on Friday that the two ministers discussed how to reduce the risk of “potential escalation.”
The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement on the meeting, “The two parties discussed issues related to preventing security threats and reducing the risks of potential escalation.”
The White House announced at the NATO summit on Wednesday (July 10) that it would deploy long-range weapons, including Tomahawk cruise missiles, in Germany as a deterrent.
Russia warned that this decision could lead to a return to Cold War-style confrontation.
In addition, U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan had a phone call with Indian Foreign Minister Ajit Doval on Friday. This call took place after Indian Prime Minister Modi concluded a two-day visit to Russia.
As per the statement from the Indian Foreign Ministry, the two sides “discussed a wide range of bilateral, regional, and international issues” during the phone conversation.
The statement did not mention whether they discussed Modi’s recent visit to Russia earlier this week. Modi’s visit to Russia coincided with the NATO summit in Washington, which primarily focused on Western concerns regarding the situation in Ukraine.
While the Modi government did not condemn Russia’s war in Ukraine, Modi has conveyed to Russian President Putin that a solution can only be found through negotiation, not on the battlefield.
The Indian statement mentioned that Sullivan and Doval “agreed to work closely to further advance the Indo-U.S. relationship based on common values and shared strategic and security interests,” and reiterated the need for joint efforts to address global peace and security challenges.
The U.S. State Department stated earlier this week that it had expressed concerns about the India-Russia relationship to India.
Over the years, Russia has been one of India’s closest strategic partners and its largest arms supplier.