Kathmandu, 22 October: U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu spoke for the first time since May on Friday and a top Russian diplomat said the call was needed to eliminate misunderstandings, TASS news agency reported.
The Pentagon declined to offer specifics beyond saying that Austin, who initiated the conversation, emphasized a need for lines of communication amid the war in Ukraine."Misunderstandings must be cleared up so that there are no accidents ... these are always important contacts, and it's important the Americans were the first to go for it," TASS quoted Vienna-based Russian diplomat Konstantin Gavrilov as telling Russian television.
Gavrilov, a senior security negotiator, also said that in the wake of the call Moscow expected clarification about nuclear deterrence exercises that NATO is carrying out, TASS added. (Reuters)
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