Defense Secretary Ash Carter spoke with his Russian counterpart for the first time Friday morning about the situation in Syria, breaking months of silence between the two militaries after the Russian invasion of Crimea.
Carter had a “constructive conversation” with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoygu, Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said in a statement.
“The secretary and the minister talked about areas where the United States and Russia’s perspectives overlap and areas of divergence,” Cook said. “They agreed to further discuss mechanisms for deconfliction and the counter-ISIL campaign.”
This is the first time Carter has spoken with the Russians since taking over as defense secretary in February.
Last week, Russia began sending military supplies and advisers to Syria to support the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in its fight against Islamic State. The U.S. called that “counterproductive.”
Another concern was possible collisions between U.S. and Russian planes both flying in Syrian and Iraqi airspace without any military-to-military communication.
The Russians said this week they want to reopen military lines of communication with the U.S. On Thursday, Cook said Carter was consulting with his team on whether a conversation would be beneficial. Carter also met with Secretary of State John Kerry on Thursday afternoon.
Despite American objections, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he will continue supplying Assad’s regime. The Pentagon also said the Russians are setting up a forward air operating base near Latakia.
Cook said the two military leaders will continue to speak.
