According to a Pentagon official, the American and Russian defence ministers spoke on the phone for the first time since May on Friday.

According to a readout published by the Russian Ministry of Defense on Telegram on Friday morning, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu spoke about “world security concerns, including the situation in Ukraine.”

According to a spokesperson for the Pentagon, Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, Austin “stressed the significance of keeping channels of contact throughout the ongoing fight against Ukraine” during the call.

The two have only spoken to one another twice since Russia invaded Ukraine in February. On May 13, the first call was made. Austin allegedly requested his Russian counterpart to take a cease-fire into consideration during the conversation, but Moscow disregarded his request.

The two spoke on February 18—six days before the invasion—prior to that call in May.

The demand on Friday comes in the wake of many days of Russian missile assaults on Ukrainian people as well as Vladimir Putin’s illegitimate territorial assertions in the country’s east and south.