The Latest Breaking News from Lloyd Austin

The Pentagon on Friday declined to offer specifics about the first call since May between U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Russian counterpart beyond saying that Austin emphasized a need for lines of communication amid the war in Ukraine.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin spoke on Friday with his Russian counterpart, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, and emphasized the importance of maintaining lines of communication amid the war in Ukraine, according to a statement from the Pentagon.

Russia's response this week to an attack on a critical Crimean bridge reflected the difference between the governments in Kyiv and Moscow.

The United States is pressing allies to hastily build for Ukraine a patchwork air defense network using NATO-compatible equipment -- some ultra-modern, others older -- to protect strategic targets from Russian strikes. The effort was given added urgency after Moscow pummeled Ukraine with missiles this week, damaging energy facilities nationwide…

Moscow and NATO are both proceeding with nuclear exercises, even as tensions escalate over Russian President Vladimir Putin’s threats to use “all means available” — including atomic weapons — to defend land he claims to be Russian.

Russian President Vladimir Putin would be crossing a “very important line” if he were to order the use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg warned Thursday, with the military alliance and Russia both due to hold nuclear exercises in coming days. NATO is holding its exercise, dubbed…

While NATO leaders discuss nuclear preparedness during a closed-door meeting, Moscow warns against Western involvement.

NATO will closely monitor Russia's upcoming nuclear exercise but not be cowed into dropping support for Ukraine by Moscow's veiled nuclear threats, the alliance's chief said on Thursday.

Ukrainian leaders are pressing the U.S. and Western allies for air defense systems and longer-range weapons to keep up the momentum in their counteroffensive against Russia and fight back against Moscow’s intensified attacks