Reports indicate that the Pentagon has established a direct line of communications with the Russian Ministry of Defense to prevent "miscalculation, military incidents and escalation" in the region as Russia advances in its invasion of Ukraine, a United States official told Reuters Thursday.
"The Department of the Defense recently established a de-confliction line with the Russian Ministry of Defense on March 1 for the purposes of preventing miscalculation, military incidents, and escalation," the senior U.S. defense official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The move was first reported by NBC.
Meanwhile, Ukraine and Russia late Thursday reached an understanding on the joint provision of humanitarian corridors to evacuate civilians as the second round of negotiations between the parties continues. The agreement also includes a temporary cease-fire during evacuations.
Moscow and Kyiv began a second round of talks in western Belarus earlier on the same day, just hours after Putin reiterated his country's demands in a telephone conversation with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron.
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry has urged Russia to declare a cease-fire in the hard-hit eastern regions of Kharkiv and Sumy to allow civilians to reach safety. Meanwhile, the United Nations also warned more than 10 million people might leave their homes due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The first negotiations on Monday at the Belarusian-Ukrainian border brought no tangible results. Russian attacks continued to pummel Ukraine, and several explosions were registered in Kyiv early Thursday, the eighth day of the invasion, triggering air raid sirens.
In a phone call with Macron, Putin reiterated Russia's call for the demilitarization of Ukraine, as well as its inability to join the NATO military alliance.
At the same time, the Kremlin threatened, "Attempts to gain time by dragging out the negotiations will only lead to additional demands on Kyiv in our negotiating position."
The news comes several days after Putin ordered the country's deterrent weapons be put on special alert.
However, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov dismissed Western countries' alarm over a possible nuclear escalation as "scaremongering."
"Everyone knows that a third World War can only be a nuclear one," Lavrov said. "I assure you that we will not allow provocations that make us lose our balance," he warned.
