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.