"There was a call that was hosted today by US defense officials and some of their Russian counterparts. This was a telephone call that lasted about an hour. It took place via video teleconference," Earnest announced.
"The discussion was focused on ways the United States and Russia can communicate and effectively deconflict our operations inside of Syria."
The spokesperson noted that in some cases they have discussed some "basic aspects" of US, Russia operations that Washington and Moscow want to try to agree "to avoid unattended consequences."
"There was a discussion about ensuring that military aircraft inside of Syria are operating consistent with international rules and safety regulations. There was a discussion about ensuring that military personnel operating inside of Syria are communicating on internationally recognized channels," he explained.
On Wednesday, the Russian upper House of Parliament unanimously approved President Vladimir Putin's request to deploy the Russian force abroad, focusing on anti-ISIL airstrikes in Syria, after Syrian President Bashar Assad turned to him for assistance.
Apart from the Russian Air Forces, ISIL is being countered by Syrian and Iraqi government forces, Syrian and Iraqi Kurds and a US-led coalition of more than 60 countries.
