US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin spoke to his Russian counterpart in a rare exchange following threats from Moscow. During the conversation with Andrei Belousov, Austin stressed that it was important to maintain communication in view of Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine, Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder said on Tuesday. He did not provide any further details about the phone call.
The Russian Defense Ministry announced on Wednesday night that both sides had exchanged views on the war in Ukraine.
In connection with the ongoing US arms deliveries to Ukraine, Belousov pointed to the increasing danger of an escalation of the situation in the country. Other issues were also discussed. The ministry in Moscow did not provide any details.
On Wednesday, the trial of US reporter Evan Gershkovich, who has been imprisoned for more than a year on charges of alleged espionage, is also due to begin in Russia.
According to the Pentagon and the Russian ministry, the initiative for the conversation came from Austin. According to Ryder, Austin last spoke with his Russian counterpart on March 15, 2023. At that time, Sergei Shoigu was still Russian Defense Minister.
Moscow threatened Washington on Monday after a Ukrainian missile attack on the city of Sevastopol on the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, which has been annexed by Russia since 2014. “It is clear that the direct involvement of the USA in hostilities resulting in the deaths of Russian civilians cannot remain without consequences,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. The Russian Foreign Ministry also summoned the US ambassador to Moscow, Lynne Tracy, and handed her a note of protest.
Meanwhile, Ukraine and Russia have released 90 soldiers each in another exchange of prisoners of war. “Our people are home,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Tuesday evening on the social network X.
They are soldiers from various units of the armed forces, some of whom also fought in Mariupol before Russia took the city. The returnees fought against the Russian invasion in the Kherson, Donetsk, Zaporizhia and Luhansk regions.
“We are thinking of all our people in Russian captivity. We are continuing our work to get everyone out,” said Zelensky. Like the Russian Defense Ministry, he thanked the United Arab Emirates in a statement for its role as mediator. Both sides published videos of the released and happy soldiers.
The Defense Ministry in Moscow announced that 90 Russian prisoners of war had been handed over by Ukraine. The men were brought to Moscow on military aircraft.
