“Secretary Austin rejected any pretext for a Russian escalation and reaffirmed the value of continued contacts,” the Pentagon said in a statement.
On October 23, Shoigu had telephone conversations with colleagues from Turkey and France, Hulusi Akar and Sebastian Lecornu, as well as with Ben Wallace and Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin.
In a conversation with the ministers, Shoigu stressed the concern over a possible provocation by Kyiv with the use of a "dirty bomb".