Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin had a telephone conversation, the topic of which was the situation around Ukraine. This was announced on May 13 by the Russian Defense Ministry on its website.
“Today, telephone conversations were held between the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, General of the Army Sergei Shoigu, and the head of the military department of the United States of America, Lloyd Austin. Topical issues of international security, including the situation in Ukraine, were discussed”, – the press service of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation says.
As emphasized in the department, the conversation took place at the initiative of Washington.
As noted by Reuters, the conversation between Austin and Shoigu took place for the first time since the start of the military special operation to protect Donbass. Meanwhile, the head of the Pentagon made several unsuccessful attempts to get through to Moscow.
Now Lloyd Austin has demanded a ceasefire on Ukrainian territory.
The call lasted about an hour, a US official told the agency, but did not lead to definite results.
On May 11, Austin said that in the present and future, the nuclear arsenal that Russia has poses serious difficulties for the United States. According to him, along with Russia, China, North Korea, Iran and terrorist groups pose the greatest threat to America’s defense.
Russia’s special operation to protect Donbass began on February 24. The key goals of the Russian military are the denazification and demilitarization of the Kyiv regime. This is necessary to ensure the security of the Russian state and people. Moscow also emphasized that it does not hatch plans for the occupation of Ukraine, and strikes are carried out only on military infrastructure.
The situation in the region escalated in mid-February due to shelling by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Since 2014, the Ukrainian authorities have been conducting a military operation against the inhabitants of Donbass, who refused to recognize the results of the coup d’état in Ukraine.
For more up-to-date videos and details about the situation in Donbass, watch the Izvestia TV channel.
