As Russia escalates its military operation in Ukraine, the US and Russian defence ministers had a telephone conversation. According to a post by the Russian Minister of Defence, Sergei Shoigu, on Telegram, he spoke with his American counterpart, Lloyd Austin.

“We discussed international security issues, including the situation in Ukraine,” Shoigu wrote.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin emphasised the importance of maintaining lines of communication amid the war in Ukraine, according to a statement from the Pentagon.

However, Moscow did not release more details on the matter.

Earlier the Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, claimed that, as at the start of the conflict, “Putin is open to talks with Ukraine”.

The Kremlin’s comments came after Tayyip Erdogan said the Russian president seemed much more “soft and open to talks” than in the past. “We have hope”, the Turkish president had said, referring to the outcome of the peace talks.

“If you remember, Putin was trying from the first moment to start talks with NATO and the USA, even before the special military operation,” Peskov claimed.

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