Russian, US Military Talks: Concerned Over Syria - AP - NYT
Russian, US Military Talks: Concerned Over Syria Friday September 18 th , 2015 at 4:42 PM 1 Share WASHINGTON — American and Russian military chiefs began talks Friday over Moscow's buildup in Syria, signaling the U.S. is resigned to Russia's emerging plans but anxious to avoid dangerous misunderstandings on the battlefield. A 50-minute phone call between U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter and Russia Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu marked the first military-to-military conversation between the two countries in more than a year. And it came as Russia continued to send aircraft, troops and military equipment into Syria and the U.S.-led coalition kept up its assault against Islamic State militants. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov broached the idea of direct talks earlier this week in a phone call with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, and Shoigu initiated the call to Carter on Friday. U.S. officials are increasingly worried that Rus