US and Russian defence ministers speak for first time in over a year

(Patria) - A day after Moscow directly accused the US of involvement in the missile attack on Crimea that occurred on Sunday, the US and Russian defence ministers spoke by phone.

It was their first contact in over a year, amid the most serious crisis between Moscow and Washington in more than 60 years.

The war briefing, the first since March 2023, was conducted by phone by the US and Russian defence ministers - Lloyd Austin and Andrei Belousov.

The two sides presented the rare conversation completely differently - the Pentagon claims it was initiated by Austin, while Moscow emphasised that Belousov warned his US counterpart about the dangers of continued US arms deliveries to Ukraine.

- Austin initiated the call and it was the first such call since March 2023. During the call, Secretary Austin stressed the importance of maintaining lines of communication amid the ongoing Russian war against Ukraine - Pentagon spokesman Patrick Ryder told reporters.

The Russian Defence Ministry said Belousov warned Austin about the dangers of continued US arms deliveries to Ukraine in its 28-month conflict with Russia.

- Belousov spoke about the danger of further escalation of the situation that could occur due to the continued delivery of US weapons to the Ukrainian armed forces, the ministry's statement said.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has strained Moscow's relations with Washington, which are now at their lowest level since the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962.

In the latest in a long series of accusations, Moscow said last weekend that the US was responsible for a Ukrainian attack on the annexed Crimean peninsula with five US-supplied missiles that killed four people.