First Communication Between the Pentagon and Russian Defense in Nearly a Year: Content Summary

The U.S. Department of Defense (the Pentagon) announced that Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin spoke on Tuesday with his Russian counterpart, Andrei Belousov, regarding the conflict in Ukraine. Pentagon spokesperson Patrick Ryder stated in a press conference on Tuesday that "Secretary Austin spoke by phone today with Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov, emphasizing the importance of maintaining military communication channels in light of the ongoing Russian war against Ukraine." Ryder noted that the last communication between the U.S. and Russian defense ministers occurred on March 15 of last year, when Sergey Shoigu was the defense minister. Additionally, the Pentagon considered that "tensions at the Israeli-Lebanese border could be resolved diplomatically."