The Secretary of Defense of the United States, Lloyd Austin, asked for an immediate cease-fire in Ukraine to speak by phone with his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu on the sixth day (14), the first conversation since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, said the Pentagon.
Austin had several times tried to talk to Shoigu since the invasion began almost three months ago, but the authorities said Moscow seemed uninterested.
Austin emphasized the importance of maintaining lines of communication, said Pentagon spokesman John Kirby in a statement.
An American official, on the condition of anonymity, said that the call, which was requested by Austin, lasted about an hour, but did not resolve any specific problem or other direct changes that the Russians are doing in Ukraine.
Or descreveu official or take the call as “professional.”
The Russian news agency TASS cites the Russian Ministry of Defense as saying that the call happened “at the initiative of the American side.” “Foram discussed current issues of international security, including the situation in Ukraine”, told TASS, citing the ministry.
The United States and Russia will establish a direct line from the invasion, which Moscow calls a “special military operation”, to avoid miscalculations and any lengthening of the conflict.
A direct “deconfliction” line is an open telephone line based on the European Command Headquarters and is under the responsibility of Air Force General Tod Wolters, who leads all the American forces in Europe.
Since the war began, the United States has sent about US$ 3.8 billion in weapons and, not starting this week, the US House of Representatives approved more than US$ 40 billion in aid for Ukraine. The Senate still did not approve the measure.
The war killed thousands of civilians, forced thousands of people from their homes and reduced cities to rubble. Moscow has little to show for other than a small area of territory in the south and marginal gains in the east of Ukraine, including the Donbass region.
Source: CNN Espanol
