In first call with Russia's defence minister, US counterpart seeks 'immediate' Ukraine ceasefire
Ukraine war: In a telephonic conversation with Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu, US defence secretary Lloyd Austin also laid stress on the importance of maintaining lines of communication.
US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin on Friday spoke to his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu, calling for an immediate ceasefire in war-hit Ukraine, news agency Reuters reported. Besides ceasefire, Austin is said to have stressed on the importance of maintaining lines of communication. This is first time Austin spoke to the Russian defence minister since February 18, Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said in a statement. The telephonic conversation comes hours after he spoke to British defence secretary Ben Wallace and discussed next steps to help Ukraine which has been fighting the Russian forces for the 79th straight day.
"We will continue to work with unity and resolve to provide Ukraine with what it needs to defend itself against Russia’s unprovoked invasion," Reuters quoted Wallace in the statement, issued on Friday after a meeting with Lloyd Austin on Wednesday.ALSO READ: G7 'strongly united' in backing Ukraine until victory, says France
“We discussed the next steps to provide defensive support for Ukraine, as well as AUKUS (a defence pact between Australia, the United States and Britain), the future of NATO, and other aspects of our shared security,” he added.
The Ukrainian forces have claimed that Russia suffered heavy losses after a pontoon bridge it was using to try to cross a river in the east was destroyed. The Ukraine's airborne command has released images of what it claims was the damaged Russian bridge over the Siversky Donets river and several Russian military vehicles which were either damaged or destroyed.
“Conducting river crossings in a contested environment is a highly risky maneuver and speaks to the pressure the Russian commanders are under to make progress in their operations in eastern Ukraine,” the British defence ministry said in its daily intelligence update.
