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US Defense Chief Weighing Possible Talks With Russian Counterpart

by Reuters

   U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Friday he was considering the
   possibility of the first talks in years between the defense chiefs of
   the United States and Russia, a possibility first reported by Reuters
   on July 17.

   "I am considering meeting with my counterpart, but there's been no
   decision," Mattis told reporters at the Pentagon.

   The last time a U.S. defense secretary even spoke telephonically with a
   Russian defense minister was in 2015, as relations between Moscow and
   Washington soured. It was not immediately clear when the last
   face-to-face meeting took place.