Pentagon announces conversation between US and Russian defense ministers
Photo: Lloyd Austin, US Secretary of Defense (Getty Images)
Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin had a second phone conversation with Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov on the morning of Friday, July 12, according to Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh.
According to her, the conversation between Austin and Belousov followed the NATO summit held in Washington on July 9-11.
"Secretary Austin emphasized the importance of maintaining lines of communication amid Russia's ongoing war against Ukraine," she said.
Singh specified that this time the call was initiated by the Russian side.
It is worth noting that this is the second conversation between the US and Russian defense ministers in the last few weeks. The previous one took place on June 25. Before that, the last conversation between the defense ministers was in March 2023.
Replacement of the Russian Defense Minister
In May of this year, Russian President Vladimir Putin appointed First Deputy Prime Minister Andrey Belousov as the head of the Russian Ministry of Defense. Putin appointed Sergei Shoigu, who had held this position for 10 years, as secretary of the Russian Security Council.
Read more about the reshuffle in the Kremlin in the material by RBC-Ukraine "Battle of attrition: Putin prepares for prolonged war and militarizes Russia".
