US, Russia establish military hotline to prevent miscalculation

WASHINGTON - The United States and Russia have established a military hotline aimed at preventing miscalculation during the ongoing Russia-Ukraine military conflict, US media outlets reported Thursday.

"The United States retains a number of channels to discuss critical security issues with the Russians during a contingency or emergency," an anonymous senior US defense official was quoted by the Wall Street Journal on Thursday.

"The Department of Defense recently established a deconfliction line with the Russian Ministry of Defense on March 1 for the purposes of preventing miscalculation, military incidents, and escalation," the official said.

On Wednesday, Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby told a briefing that at this moment of tension, it is critical that "both the United States and Russia bear in mind the risk of miscalculation, and take steps to reduce those risks".

US forces "are not engaged and will not engage in conflict with Russian forces in Ukraine", said US President Joe Biden in his State of the Union address on Tuesday.