After months of refusing direct contact with his American counterpart, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu spoke with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Friday. Officials said the call did not appear to signal a shift in Moscow’s Ukraine war strategy.
While Mr. Austin believes the hour-long conversation was important in keeping lines of communication open, a senior Defense Department official said Friday that it didn’t resolve any “acute issues” or result in any change in what the Russians are doing or saying as the war enters week 12.
Mr. Austin’s call was the highest level of American contact with a Russian official since the war began in late February. Russian leaders have repeatedly refused to take calls from Mr. Austin and Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, according to Pentagon officials.
This is Mr. Austin’s first conversation with Mr. Shoigu since February 18, a week before the war began. Mr. Milley is also expected to communicate with his Russian counterpart, Gen. Valery Gerasimov, according to a senior official on Friday.
Mr. Austin “urged an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine and emphasised the importance of maintaining lines of communication,” according to a Pentagon statement..
Several officials praised the call as a positive step forward, but said there was no clear reason why the Russians chose Friday to hold the conversation. The US hopes it will serve as a springboard for future discussions, according to the defence official, and it appears that Mr. Austin’s request for future communication was received. The official described the tone of the call as “professional,” but gave no other details about what was said.
Direct communication between the US and Russian defence and military leaders is essential to avoid misunderstandings and unwarranted escalation of hostilities. The US and Russia have also established a “deconfliction line” that the militaries can use in the event of an emergency or perceived threat to NATO allies in Ukraine. Although it has not been used, US officials claim that Russians have answered the phone during tests to ensure that it is functional.
Russia’s fight in Ukraine, particularly the effort to wrest greater control over the eastern Donbas region, has been described as being more than two weeks behind schedule and failing to make consistent progress by US and other Western officials.
On Friday, Russian forces suffered heavy losses in a Ukrainian attack that destroyed a pontoon bridge they were using to try to cross a river in the east, according to Ukrainian, British, and US officials.
Ukraine’s airborne command released photos and video of a damaged Russian pontoon bridge and several destroyed or damaged Russian military vehicles near the Siversky Donets River. According to the command, the troops “drowned the Russian occupiers.”
The battle for the Donbass has turned into a daily grind as towns and villages change hands since Russia’s failed attempt to take Kyiv.
