web counter
LEXO PA REKLAMA!

SHKARKO APP

App Store
Google Play

Defense chiefs of the US and Russia talk about Ukraine

2024-06-26 09:00:06, Kosova & Bota CNA
Defense chiefs of the US and Russia talk about Ukraine
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin (left) and Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov. Source, RFE/RL

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin held a telephone conversation with his Russian counterpart, Andrei Belousov, on June 25, Pentagon spokesman Patrick Ryder said, adding that Austin "stressed the importance of maintaining lines of communication at a time when Russia is waging war against Ukraine".

Austin initiated the call, which is the first between the US and Russian defense chiefs since March 2023, Ryder said.

Russia's Defense Ministry said they "exchanged their positions on the situation in Ukraine."

Belousov highlighted the risk of further escalation of the situation due to the continued supply of US weapons to Ukraine, the Russian ministry said.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine and annexation of four Ukrainian regions by it have caused Moscow's relations with Washington to fall to the lowest point since 1962, when the Cuban Missile Crisis occurred.

Last week, Moscow accused the United States of being responsible for a Ukrainian missile attack on the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula.

Russia's Defense Ministry said the June 23 attack involved five long-range missiles, which the United States has supplied to Ukraine this year.

The US resumed supplying Ukraine with weapons in April after Congress approved a $61 billion military aid package for Kiev.

The United States says it supports Ukraine's demands that Russia withdraw troops from Ukraine and that Ukraine's post-Soviet borders be restored./ REL





Lajmet e fundit nga