United States Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has called for "an immediate ceasefire" in Ukraine as he is set to meet with Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu for the first time since the invasion began.
In a Twitter post on Friday, Austin confirmed the call, saying that he emphasized the importance of maintaining lines of communication. The official's call came as Russian forces continued their offensive in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region.
U.S. and Russian Defense Ministers
The situation has forced United States President Joe Biden's administration to pledge billions of dollars in military and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine. In the past, Austin has tried to communicate with his Russian counterpart since Moscow's invasion of its neighboring European nation that began on Feb. 24.
However, American officials said Shoygu had appeared to be uninterested in holding discussions with the United States. One U.S. official, speaking to reporters on the condition of anonymity, said that the call on Friday between the two defense ministers lasted for about an hour. He noted that it did not solve any specific issues or lead to direct changes in what Russia was doing in Ukraine, as per Aljazeera.
On the other hand, the Russian defense ministry said that the call between Lloyd and Shoygu happened "at the initiative of the American side." Russia's TASS news agency said, quoting the ministry, that "topical issues of international security were discussed, including the situation in Ukraine."
Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby on Mar. 24 said that Austin and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley has continued to seek phone calls with Shoygu and Russia's top general, Gen. Valery Gerasimov. However, he noted that Moscow has so far continued to decline the engagements.
According to CNN, Milley is also expected to reach out to his Russian counterpart to see if it was possible to schedule a call. They have not spoken to each other since Feb. 11, a week before the last call between Austin and Shoygu.
Russia-Ukraine War
Russia and the United States established a deconfliction line on Mar. 1 because the two nations' militaries were operating so close together. It was also found that some of Moscow's strikes in Ukraine were close to the border with Poland where American troops were deployed.
Direct communications between the U.S. and Russia defense and military leaders are considered to be crucial in trying to avoid any misunderstandings or unwarranted escalation in hostilities. This is especially true with the situation in Ukraine, where military forces are continuing to drive away Russian troops.
U.S. and other Western officials have described Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, particularly the efforts to wrest greater control over the eastern Donbas region, as being more than two weeks behind schedule. They added that Russia has not been able to make consistent progress in the region.
Russian forces once again suffered heavy losses on Friday amid a Ukrainian attack that destroyed a pontoon bridge that they were using to try to cross a river in the east. The situation is what Ukrainian, British, and U.S. officials said was another sign of Moscow's struggle to salvage a war gone awry, ABC News reported.
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