Pentagon chief speaks with Russian defense minister

FILE PHOTO: U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin attends a press conference during a NATO defence ministers' meeting at the Alliance's headquarters in Brussels, Belgium June 14, 2024. REUTERS/Johanna Geron/File Photo

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. and Russian defense chiefs spoke by telephone on Tuesday for the first time in more than a year and the two sides gave widely divergent accounts of the conversation.

The Pentagon said U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov discussed the importance of open lines of communication.