US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin on Friday held a phone call with his Russian counterpart Sergey Shoigu in what was the first call between the two defence chiefs since May, the Pentagon said.
Mr Austin and Mr Shoigu discussed the importance of keeping the lines of communication open between Washington and Moscow amid Russian President Vladimir Putin's war against Ukraine, the Pentagon said in a readout of the call.
The Pentagon in March said it had established a hotline with Russia's defence ministry to prevent “miscalculation, military incidents and escalation”.
The US has created hotlines to stay in communication with Russia during previous moments of tension, including after Moscow intervened in the war in Syria to back President Bashar Al Assad.
In a separate call on Friday, Mr Austin spoke to Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov to “reiterate the unwavering US commitment to supporting Ukraine's ability to counter Russia's aggression”, the Pentagon said.
Mr Austin highlighted the international community's continuing support of Kyiv's defence capabilities, pointing to the commitments the US and its partners made at the Ukraine Defence Contact Group meeting earlier this month.
Both Mr Austin and Mr Reznikov pledged to remain in close contact, the Pentagon said.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, the US has committed more than $16.8 billion in military aid to Kyiv, including Himars, Javelins, armoured vehicles and other defence equipment.
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if you go
The flights
Direct flights from the UAE to the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu, are available with Air Arabia, (www.airarabia.com) Fly Dubai (www.flydubai.com) or Etihad (www.etihad.com) from Dh1,200 return including taxes. The trek described here started from Jomson, but there are many other start and end point variations depending on how you tailor your trek. To get to Jomson from Kathmandu you must first fly to the lake-side resort town of Pokhara with either Buddha Air (www.buddhaair.com) or Yeti Airlines (www.yetiairlines.com). Both charge around US$240 (Dh880) return. From Pokhara there are early morning flights to Jomson with Yeti Airlines or Simrik Airlines (www.simrikairlines.com) for around US$220 (Dh800) return.
The trek
Restricted area permits (US$500 per person) are required for trekking in the Upper Mustang area. The challenging Meso Kanto pass between Tilcho Lake and Jomson should not be attempted by those without a lot of mountain experience and a good support team. An excellent trekking company with good knowledge of Upper Mustang, the Annaurpuna Circuit and Tilcho Lake area and who can help organise a version of the trek described here is the Nepal-UK run Snow Cat Travel (www.snowcattravel.com). Prices vary widely depending on accommodation types and the level of assistance required.
