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Washington initiates talks between Russian, US defense chiefs to clear the air — envoy

Countries need to eliminate misunderstandings so that there are no accidents, Konstantin Gavrilov said

MOSCOW, October 21. /TASS/. The conversation between the Russian and US defense chiefs, which was initiated by Washington, was needed to clear up misunderstandings and eliminate risks, Konstantin Gavrilov, head of the Russian delegation at the Vienna Negotiations on Military Security and Arms Control, said on the Rossiya-24 news channel on Friday.

"We need to eliminate misunderstandings so that there are no accidents. And I believe it is prevention - and that is what we are working on here, for example, on a smaller scale - of incidents at sea, in midair over ships and on a more global scale - the nuclear aspect. To my mind, these contacts are always important and it is crucial that the Americans were the first to go for it," Gavrilov said when asked about the objectives of the Shoigu-Austin talks.

The Russian Defense Ministry reported earlier that Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin touched upon pressing issues of international security, including the situation in Ukraine. The Russian and US defense chiefs last held talks on May 13.

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Foreign policy United States

Military operation in Ukraine

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US admiral says Washington should be ready for talks with Russia, China

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"There will always be an answer," the president said

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Railroad development to strengthen ties with foreign partners — Russian PM

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US, NATO decision on strikes continues policy of escalation — Putin

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Iran claims to have disabled Israel’s Iron Dome air defense in past strikes

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Press review: Russian air defenses can down Western missiles as EU conducts live exercise

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