Pentagon sets up hotline with Russia to avert military incidents in Ukraine

SANAA, March 05 (YPA) – The Pentagon has established a new hotline with Russia’s ministry of defense to prevent “miscalculation, military incidents and escalation” in the region as Russia’s operation in Ukraine.

Pentagon Spokesperson John Kirby said in a press release that the line, which was launched “a few days ago,” connects the US Command in Europe to the Russian Defense Ministry, and said, “We made sure this hotline worked and we called them and they answered us.”

But a Pentagon spokesman declined to say whether the hotline was used when Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia power plant came under attacks on Thursday night by strikes attributed to Russia.

“If there’s a situation where we need to communicate with the Russian Defense Ministry immediately, I assume we’ll use it,” Kirby said.

The two sides have already launched a direct channel of communication during the war in Syria.

There was also a Cold War “red phone” launched in 1963 after the missile crisis in Cuba and provided direct contact between the White House and the Kremlin.

E.M