US secretary of defense, Russian minister hold phone talk

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III spoke by phone with Russian Minister of Defense Sergey Shoigu on Aug. 11, Report informs referring to the US Department of Defense.

“The purpose of the call was to support transparency and risk-reduction efforts following the July 28 resumption of the US-Russia Strategic Stability Dialogue in Geneva, Switzerland,” reads a written statement by Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby.

The first face-to-face round of Russian-US consultations on strategic stability in 2021 took place in Geneva in July at the US Permanent Mission to the UN Headquarters.