Russian Defense Minister to hold phone talks with his U.S. counterpart

Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu will hold phone talks today with his American counterpart at the initiative of the U.S. side, the Russian Defense Ministry told journalists on Friday.

"On February 18, a phone conversation will be held between the Defense Minister of the Russian Federation, Army General Sergey Shoigu and U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. The conversation will take place at the initiative of the American side," the military agency said.

On February 12, the Russian defense chief also held talks with his U.S. counterpart. Then, the Pentagon said that the top military officials "discussed Russia’s force build-up in Crimea and around Ukraine." The Russian military agency reported that Shoigu and Austin discussed "security issues of mutual interest."