00:00It's being viewed as a major step, illustrating the ongoing warming of relations between the world's top nuclear powers since Donald Trump returned to the White House.
00:08The U.S. and Russia have agreed to resume high-level military communications during peace talks in Abu Dhabi.
00:15Washington had cut almost all contact with Moscow under the Biden administration as tensions rose ahead of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
00:23Well, for more, let's cross live now to Fraser Jackson, our correspondent in Washington.
00:27He's standing by for us now. Fraser, firstly, just talk us through how significant this development actually is.
00:37Well, for the first time in 85 years, the U.S. and Russia have agreed to restore high-level, mill-to-mill talks between the two countries,
00:43communication that was axed in the lead-up to the war in Ukraine.
00:47U.S. European Command said,
00:49Maintaining dialogue between militaries is an important factor in global stability and peace,
00:54which can only be achieved through strength and provides a means for increased transparency and de-escalation.
01:00The Eurocom then adding,
01:02This channel will provide a consistent military-to-military contact as the parties continue to work towards a lasting peace,
01:09adding that the aim is to avoid miscalculation and to provide a means of avoiding unintended escalation by either side.
01:16Now, communication between the U.S. and Russia basically came in the aftermath of the Cuban Missile Crisis,
01:22with the cliché of the red phone sat on the president's desk.
01:25That is now actually, though, a secure fiber-optic email system rather than a telephone system that was set up back in 2008.
01:33There has been some contact between the parties, though, since the war in Ukraine broke out,
01:38but the re-establishment of talks agreed to in Abu Dhabi means that the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff
01:44and the Russian Chief of the General Staff will resume strategic dialogues.
01:48There were a couple of moments during the war in Ukraine which have happened where a lack of communication has caused issues,
01:54especially in March 2023.
01:56If you remember the American Reaper drone that was dumped in the Black Sea after Russian fighters dropped fuel on it
02:02and clipped its propeller, something Moscow denies, but various incidents like that have led to a spike in tensions
02:09and it's hoped that these re-establishment of talks will stop those moments from happening in the future.
02:14And, Fraser, what impact might this have on the war in Ukraine then?
02:20Well, for Ukraine, this channel is a bit of a double-edged sword, really.
02:23It provides a path to end the fighting while simultaneously potentially threatening its long-term security aims as well.
02:29By opening this direct line between the Pentagon and the Russian Ministry of Defence,
02:34there is some fear that it may lead to the war becoming a sort of frozen conflict.
02:40However, resuming these military talks could help create the kind of technical frameworks
02:45if this political ceasefire deal is reached and comes out of these talks in Abu Dhabi.
02:51That could include things on how to monitor ceasefires that are agreed to,
02:55how to manage troop withdrawals or oversee an eventual demilitarised zone if that is indeed agreed upon.
03:01But it does not really guarantee progress towards ending the war in itself.
03:07There are still, of course, some issues that remain in these ceasefire deals.
03:10Of course, the issue of territory being the biggest one.
03:13So, for now, the real-world impact on the ground is unlikely to change.
03:16But in the future, it could be a bit of a worry for the Ukrainians.
03:20Fraser, for now, thank you.
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