In first since Ukraine invasion, Pentagon chief speaks with Russian counterpart

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, U.S. on April 28, 2022. [Reuters]

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin called for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine when he spoke by telephone to his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu on Friday for the first time since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the Pentagon said.

Austin has tried multiple times to try and talk with Shoigu since the invasion started nearly three months ago, but officials said Moscow had appeared uninterested.