MOSCOW, May 13 (Xinhua) -- Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin held a phone conversation on Friday to discuss the situation in Ukraine.
During the call initiated by the American side, the defense chiefs discussed topical issues of international security, including the situation in Ukraine, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a brief statement.
This was the first phone conversation between Shoigu and Austin since Feb. 18, days before the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. ■