Washington:  The destruction of a US drone over the Black Sea, which had brought the two nations closer to a direct confrontation since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine a year ago, was the topic of conversation, according to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, with his Russian counterpart on Wednesday.

Since October, Austin and Defense Secretary Sergei Shoigu hadn't spoken by phone. Austin announced this at a Pentagon press conference. "I just got off the phone with my Russian counterpart, Minister Shoigu. As I have previously stated, it is crucial for great powers to serve as examples of openness and communication. The United States will continue to fly and conduct business wherever international law permits.

After a Russian fighter jet struck the Air Force MQ-9 Reaper's propeller while it was flying in international airspace, the US military claimed it ditched the aircraft in the water. Russia disputes responsibility for the incident. The US has stated that it is attempting to declassify drone surveillance video that would reveal Tuesday's crash.

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The fact that Austin and Shoigu were conversing highlighted how important the meeting over the Black Sea was. Contact between US and Russian military leaders has been scarce ever since Russia invaded Ukraine, with Russian officials initially refusing to answer US military calls.

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Army Gen. Mark Milley, stated that he also intended to speak with his Russian counterpart, Gen. Valery Gerasimov, the head of the Russian military's General Staff.

In an apparent indication of Russian President Vladimir Putin's displeasure with the stalemated state of the war, Gerasimov was named the new commander of the Russian forces in Ukraine in January and the previous commander was demoted.

Even though the circumstances leading up to the drone's crash were "intentional," Milley said there were still concerns about whether Russia intended to shoot the drone down.

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"We are aware that the intercept was deliberate. We are aware that the hostile behaviour was deliberate, Milley said. He told reporters at the briefing that it was still unknown whether the collision itself was deliberate.

According to Milley, the drone most likely sank in water that was 1,200 to 1,500 metres (4,000 to 5,000 feet) deep. From Russia's public statements, it was unclear if the call between Austin and Shoigu was de-escalatory.

In an earlier statement to reporters on Wednesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Russia has declared certain areas of the Black Sea off-limits to any aerial traffic during the conflict and suggested that the US was attempting to escalate tensions by using the flights.

The Crimean Peninsula, which Russia illegally annexed after seizing it in 2014, is close to where the drone crashed. Any incidents that could lead to conflict between the two major nuclear powers pose a very serious risk, according to Lavrov.

In May 2022, Austin and Shoigu first discussed Russia's invasion of Ukraine. It was the highest level of US-Russian contact during the conflict at the time.

In October, there was a high risk of an escalation, so they spoke twice in three days. Shoigu had claimed that Ukraine intended to use a dirty bomb, but the US and other Western allies strongly refuted this claim and accused Russia of inventing an excuse to justify further escalation, which could have included the use of a tactical nuclear weapon.

The $32 million US drone that crashed and was carrying delicate technology has not been found. The Black Sea has been off limits to military vessels without US military ships operating there since early 2022.

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Russian ships have already been sent to the area, according to US officials, in an effort to recover drone parts. Due to their lack of authorization to speak in public about the situation, the officials spoke on the condition of anonymity.