UK military chief rejects Russian claims Ukraine is seeking to escalate war
The head of the Armed Forces has used a call with his Russian counterpart to restate the UK's support for Ukraine.
Chief of the Defence Staff Admiral Sir Tony Radakin and General Valery Gerasimov spoke at the request of the Russian defence ministry.
Their call, which discussed the need to "manage the risk of miscalculation", comes after the Defence Secretary told Parliament that a Russian fighter jet last month "released a missile" in the vicinity of a Royal Air Force aircraft in international airspace over the Black Sea.
Ben Wallace said Russia stated the missile was released in a "technical malfunction".
Admiral Sir Tony's call follows similar talks between the Defence Secretary and his Russian counterpart on Sunday.
A Ministry of Defence spokesman said Admiral Sir Tony also rejected Russia's allegations that "Ukraine is planning actions to escalate the conflict".
Watch: UK sending world's most advanced air defence missile to support Ukraine.
The spokesman said: "At the request of the Russian Ministry of Defence, the Chief of the Defence Staff, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, spoke with his Russian counterpart, general of the army Valery Vasilyevich Gerasimov, this afternoon.
"The Chief of the Defence Staff rejected Russia's allegations that Ukraine is planning actions to escalate the conflict, and he restated the UK’s enduring support for Ukraine.
"The military leaders both agreed on the importance of maintaining open channels of communication between the UK and Russia to manage the risk of miscalculation and to facilitate de-escalation.
"The conversation followed the Defence Secretary's call with his Russian counterpart yesterday and a call between the foreign ministers of France, the UK and the USA last night."
Downing Street said it was "too early" to tell whether the calls, at the initiation of Moscow, were a sign that Russia is trying to engage with the West to ease tensions but "it remains important that we have these open channels of communication".
"Obviously, we would welcome any conversations, but I think what you’re seeing play out on the ground does not suggest any toning down in approach," the Prime Minister's official spokesman said.
"There continues to be indiscriminate attacks on a daily basis."
The UK is continuing to provide Ukraine with military equipment.
Thousands of weapons have been given to Ukraine by Britain since Russia's invasion in late February this year.
More than 6,100 Ukrainian troops have also been trained in the UK since June.
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