The Pentagon stated on Friday (July 12) that the US and Russian defense ministers had a phone call, marking the second call between the two sides in two weeks. The last call was at the end of June, with Russia accusing the US of providing weapons to Ukraine.
Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh said during a press conference that US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov had a call initiated by Russia on Friday. Singh emphasized the importance of maintaining communication channels open between Russia and Ukraine during the call, but declined to provide further details about the conversation.
Russia has been fully invading Ukraine for over two years now. Prior to the call at the end of June this year, the defense ministers of the US and Russia had not spoken for over a year.
According to Agence France-Presse, the Russian Defense Ministry stated on Friday that the two defense ministers discussed how to reduce the risk of “possible escalation.”
The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement about the meeting, “The sides discussed issues of preventing security threats and reducing the risk of possible 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 a Cold War-style confrontation.
Furthermore, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan had a call with Indian Foreign Minister Ajit Doval on Friday. This conversation took place after Indian Prime Minister Modi concluded a two-day visit to Russia.
According to a statement from the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, the two discussed a wide range of bilateral, regional, and international issues during the call.
The statement did not mention whether they discussed Modi’s recent visit to Russia earlier in the week. Modi’s visit to Russia coincided with the NATO summit in Washington, which mainly focused on Western concerns about the situation in Ukraine.
While the Modi government did not condemn Russia’s war in Ukraine, Modi emphasized to Russian President Putin that a negotiated solution rather than the battlefield is the only way to resolve the conflict.
The Indian statement mentioned that Sullivan and Doval “agreed to work closely to advance the Indo-US 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.
Earlier this week, the US State Department expressed concerns to India about its relationship with Russia.
For years, Russia has been one of India’s closest strategic partners and its biggest weapons supplier.