HOTLINE BETWEEN RUSSIA AND US NOT IN USE NOW: KREMLIN

A special protected communication channel in place for the two presidents

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Amidst heightened tensions between Moscow and Washington and other Western countries, a Kremlin spokesperson said Wednesday that the special telephone hotline between Russia and the U.S., established after the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, is not currently in use.

Russian news agency TASS cited Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov as saying there has been no contact between the two countries via the channel. When asked whether the hotline remains active, Peskov said, "No. We now have a special protected communication channel for the two presidents. Moreover, it even has the option of a video conference format," according to the Russian state news agency.

According to the Kremlin's official website, the latest phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his U.S. counterpart took place on February 12, 2022.

The Washington-Moscow hotline, created for emergency talks between the leaders of the USSR and the United States, began operating on August 30, 1963.