The Pentagon declined to provide details of the first telephone conversation between U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu since May. A department spokesman said only that Austin stressed the need to establish lines of communication amid the war in Ukraine, Reuters reported.

According to him, Austin initiated a telephone conversation with Sergei Shoigu. He noted that this provided the best opportunity for both sides to talk, without explaining why this happened.

The Russian Defense Ministry reported earlier that the ministers discussed the situation in Ukraine.