U.S. defense secretary urges de-escalation in call with Russian counterpart -Pentagon

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin speaks during a news conference in Warsaw, Poland February 18, 2022. Slawomir Kaminski/Agencja Wyborcza.pl via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. POLAND OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN POLAND.

WARSAW (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu on Friday and called for de-escalation in the crisis over Ukraine, the Pentagon said.

"Austin called for de-escalation, the return of Russian forces surrounding Ukraine to their home bases, and a diplomatic resolution," a Pentagon readout of the call said.