U.S., Russia to reestablish military-to-military dialogue

The United States and Russia agreed Thursday to reestablish high-level, military-to-military dialogue after a meeting between senior Russian and American military officials in Abu Dhabi, the U.S. military in Europe said.

- BY KAMILA HRABCHUK AND EMMA BURROWS

RELATIVES hold photos of Ukrainian soldiers still being held by Russia. The war began nearly four years ago.

(OLEKSANDR MAGULA Global Images Ukraine)

The agreement was reached after meetings between U.S. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, who is the commander in Europe of both U.S. and NATO forces, and senior Russian and Ukrainian military officials, the U.S. European Command said in a statement.

The channel "will provide a consistent military-to-military contact as the parties continue to work toward a lasting peace," the statement said. High-level military communication was suspended in 2021, as relations between Moscow and Washington grew increasingly strained ahead of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Grynkewich was in the capital of the United Arab Emirates where talks between American, Russian and Ukrainian officials on ending the war in Ukraine entered a second day and as Moscow escalated its attacks on Ukraine’s power grid. Russia appears to be aiming to deny civilians power and weaken public support for the fight, while hostilities continue along the roughly 600-mile front line snaking along eastern and southern parts of Ukraine.

Defusing tensions

The resumption of the military-to-military hot line marks an effort to lower the tensions that soared since the start of the war and avoid collisions between the Russian and U.S. militaries.