MOSCOW, June 9. /TASS/. Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov and Chief of the French Defense Staff Thierry Burkhard discussed the situation in Ukraine and in the Sahel region over the phone, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported on Thursday.

"During the talks, the sides discussed the situation in Ukraine. They also exchanged opinions on the situation in the Sahel region," the ministry said in a statement.

The phone talk was held at the initiative of the French side, the ministry said.

Before that, the military chiefs of Russia and France held a phone talk on March 4 when they also discussed the situation around Ukraine.