U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin Speaks With Russia Defense Minister for First Time Since Start of Ukraine War

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu held their first talks since the war in Ukraine began.

According to the U.S. Department of Defense, Austin urged an "immediate ceasefire" in Ukraine. Al Jazeera reported that Austin confirmed the call in a tweet on Friday, saying he spoke with Shoigu for the first time since February 18.

Lloyd Austin has tried multiple times to talk with Shoigu since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine started on February 24. However, officials said the Russian side had appeared uninterested.

A U.S. official, who agreed to speak on the condition of anonymity, told reporters that the call between the two leaders on Friday lasted about an hour.

However, the official noted that it did not solve any specific issues or lead to direct changes in what Russia is doing in Ukraine. The official said the tone of the call was "professional."

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin Discussions With Russia

Russia's Ministry of Defense said the U.S initiated the call. CBS News reported that the two leaders discussed "topical international security issues," which included the situation in Ukraine.

A U.S. senior defense official confirmed that Lloyd Austin had requested the call. The Pentagon had consistently been reaching out for calls with Russian counterparts since mid-February.

The call took place as the Defense Department reviewed that the Russians are two weeks behind their own schedule of where they expected to be positioned in the south and east by Ukraine by now.

The Pentagon has described the Russian advances as "steady and incremental, but still uneven." The head of the Defense Intelligence Agency, Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier, told Senate this week that the situation has become a "bit of a stalemate."

Berrier noted that the "Russians aren't winning and the Ukrainians aren't winning." Russia said its goal in the Ukraine war was to halt the NATO alliance's expansion, which Sweden and Finland are reportedly now upending. The two countries are both seeking membership in the Western defense alliance.

Russia-Ukraine War

Kremlin warned that it would retaliate after Finland's leaders announced their intention to join NATO "without delay." According to NBC News, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday that his country is "not favorable" to Finland and Sweden joining NATO.

He noted that Turkey could use its membership in the Western military alliance to veto moves to let the two countries be admitted. Erdogan said they are following developments in Sweden and Finland but that Turkey is not of a favorable opinion.

The Turkey's president cited his reasons for opposition, saying it was due to Sweden and other Scandinavian countries' alleged support for Kurdish militants and others that Turkey labeled to be terrorists.

Meanwhile, Russia expelled 10 Romanian diplomats in response to similar actions by Bucharest. Moscow's foreign ministry said it rejected Romanian attempts to blame Russia for alleged war crimes in Ukraine.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly offered to have talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Zelenskyy said he was ready to talk to Putin, "but only to him."

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

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