Daily Tribune (Philippines)

Russian, U.S. defense chiefs discuss lowering escalation

The two sides have managed to organize sporadic phone calls despite raging tensions over the conflict in Ukraine.

MOSCOW (AFP) — Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov and his United States counterpar­t Lloyd Austin held a telephone call where they discussed lowering the risk of “possible escalation,” the Russian defense ministry said on Friday.

The call, which was initiated by Moscow, comes as tensions between the two sides flare over Washington’s plan to deploy long-range missiles in Germany, a decision the Kremlin warned could spell a return to Cold War-style confrontat­ion.

“The issue of preventing security threats and reducing the risk of possible escalation was discussed,” Russia’s defense ministry said in a statement on the talks.

According to Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh, Austin “emphasized the importance of maintainin­g lines of communicat­ion” during the conversati­on.

The two sides have managed to organize sporadic phone calls despite raging tensions over the conflict in Ukraine, including a recent call at the end of June where Moscow chided Washington’s arms supplies to Kyiv.

The White House announced on Wednesday during a North Atlantic Treaty Organizati­on summit that it would station long-range weapons including Tomahawk cruise missiles in Germany as a deterrent.

The Kremlin criticized the move, accusing Washington of taking a step towards a new “Cold War” and of directly participat­ing in the conflict in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, an oil depot was on fire Saturday in Russia’s Rostov region after a Ukrainian drone attack, its governor Vasily Golubev said on Telegram.

“After a drone attack, a fire broke out in a petrol refinery in the Tsimlyansk­y district,” Golubev wrote, adding that there were no casualties.

The area is hundreds of kilometers from the front line.

Russia’s defense ministry meanwhile announced that its forces had downed four Ukrainian drones — two in Rostov, one in the Belgorod region adjoining Ukraine and another in Kursk which is up further north.