Ambassador Antonov noted the importance of contacts between the military of Russia and the United States

He specified that "episodic telephone conversations" are being held between the defense ministers and the chiefs of the general staffs of the two countries.

“I believe that this is extremely important to prevent a direct military confrontation, fraught with escalation with unpredictable consequences,” Antonov emphasized on Channel One.

At the same time, Antonov noted that Russian-American diplomatic relations are extremely limited, and the political dialogue between the two countries is at an unprecedented low level.

On May 19, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov spoke by phone with Mark Milley, Chairman of the Committee of the Chiefs of Staff of the US Armed Forces.

On May 13, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin held telephone conversations.