"Today Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III spoke by phone with Russian Minister of Defense Sergey Shoygu," Kirby said in a press release. "The purpose of the call was to support transparency and risk-reduction efforts following the July 28 resumption of the US-Russia Strategic Stability Dialogue in Geneva, Switzerland."
The Russian Defence Ministry confirmed the conversation took place.
"A phone conversation took place between Russian Defense Minister Gen. of the Army Sergei Shoigu and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. The results of bilateral consultations on strategic stability, as well as issues of global and regional security, were discussed," the ministry said.
During the summit in Geneva on 16 June, Putin and Biden issued a joint statement on strategic stability, which among other things stipulated that as major nuclear superpowers, Russia and the US, would have consultations on further steps to ensure stable strategic cooperation after the extension of the New START treaty.