Russia's Defence Minister, Sergei Shoygu, held telephone talks with the US Secretary of Defence Mark Esper. In this call, Shoygu extended an invitation for the U.S. Defence Secretary to Victory Parade next month in Moscow.
The Russian ministry of defence published a statement about the call between Shoygu and Esper. Their talk covered the fight against the novel coronavirus, arms control, as well as information and regional security.
The Ministry reported that Shoygu suggested that the US and Russia combine their efforts in the fight against Covid-19. Moreover, he proposed that relevant military specialists exchange experience of working on this matter.
General Shoygu "proposed to consolidate the efforts of the two countries in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic," the ministry said. This pooling of efforts would help "effectively respond to such situations in the future," the ministry added.
With regards to arms control, the ministry reported that Shoygu expressed Russia's "concern [...] about the consistent destruction of international arms control treaties by the United States, including the Treaty on Open Skies."
Additionally, Shoygu invited the American Defence Secretary to the military parade in Moscow's Red Square on June 24. Russia's Mod did not say whether Esper accepted the invite to attend the 75th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in WWII.
Shoygu and Esper further discussed measures to "de-conflict and stabilise the situation in Syria." Also, they discussed ensuring the security of military contingents in Afghanistan and other regions of the world," according to the ministry's statement.
