Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu held telephone talks with Pentagon Chief Lloyd Austin on February 12, the Defense Ministry said.
The sides discussed security issues of mutual interest.
According to the Pentagon, Austin expressed concern about the alleged buildup of Russian forces in Crimea and around Ukraine.
Earlier in the day, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken had a telephone conversation. As the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry noted, Washington and Brussels ignore the key security provisions for us, first of all about the non-expansion of NATO and the non-deployment of strike weapons systems near Russian borders. It was emphasized that these issues will take a central place in our assessment of the documents received from the United States and NATO, which will be brought to the attention of colleagues.
In addition, the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry stressed that the propaganda campaign launched by the United States and its allies about "Russian aggression" against Ukraine pursues provocative goals, thereby encouraging the Ukrainian authorities to sabotage the Minsk agreements.
The United States and EU countries have recently expressed concern about the alleged intensification of Russia's "aggressive actions" against Ukraine. Moscow has repeatedly rejected such accusations, stating that it does not threaten anyone.
The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, stressed that the US statements about the alleged preparation of Russia's offensive on Ukraine are being made in order to create an information cover for the preparation of their own large-scale provocations.
