Ukraine war: US, Russia defence chiefs speak as tensions rise over Crimea attack
- Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin and Russia’s new Defence Minister Andrei Belousov spoke for the first time
The US and Russian defence chiefs spoke by telephone on Tuesday in rare communication between the two powers and with tensions rising after Moscow blamed Washington for a deadly Ukraine attack over the weekend on the Russian-annexed Crimea.
The two sides gave widely divergent accounts of the conversation – the first one between US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and Russia’s new Defence Minister Andrei Belousov, who replaced Sergei Shoigu in May.
The Pentagon said Austin and Belousov discussed the importance of open lines of communication.
Austin initiated the conversation and it was the first such call since March 2023, Pentagon spokesperson, US Air Force Major General Patrick Ryder told reporters.
Russia’s Defence Ministry, however, said that Belousov warned Austin of the dangers of continued US arms supplies to Ukraine in the 28-month-old war.
“A.R. Belousov pointed to the danger of further escalating the situation through continued supplies of American weapons to the Ukrainian armed forces,” the ministry statement said on the Telegram messaging app after the call.