Defense Minister Belousov spoke by phone with Pentagon Chief Austin

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin held a telephone conversation with his Russian counterpart Andrei Belousov. This was announced at a briefing by Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh.

The head of the Pentagon stressed the importance of keeping open channels of communication between Russia and the United States, Singh noted.

The conversation took place on the initiative of the Russian side, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reports meanwhile.

"At the initiative of the Russian side, a telephone conversation took place between the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation Andrei Belousov and the Secretary of Defense of the United States Lloyd Austin. The issue of preventing security threats and reducing the risk of possible escalation was discussed," the department's telegram channel says.