US defence secretary talks with new Russian defence minister – Pentagon

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin held his second phone conversation with Andrei Belousov, the new minister of defence of Russia, on 12 July.

Source: Sabrina Singh, spokesperson of the Pentagon, at a briefing, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Singh stated that the conversation between Austin and Belousov occurred following the results of the NATO Summit in Washington on 9-11 July.

"Secretary Austin emphasised the importance of maintaining the lines of communication amid Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine," she added.

Singh then specified that the call "was initiated by the Russian side".

This was the second conversation between US Defense Secretary Austin and Russian Defence Minister Belousov – the previous one was held on 25 June. Before that the conversation between the heads of defence of the US and Russia was held in March 2023.

The contacts between Moscow and Washington have reduced significantly since the beginning of the full-scale Russian aggression against Ukraine.

Background:

• Russian ruler Vladimir Putin replaced Sergey Shoigu with Andrei Belousov on the post of the minister of defence of Russia on 12 May.
• Commenting on the Kremlin's personnel changes, UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said that new Russian Defence Minister Belousov would be "another of Putin's puppets".
• The US Department of State noted that reshuffles in the Russian Defence Ministry were a sign that Putin wanted to continue his war of aggression against Ukraine.

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