U.S. defense chief has no plans to talk to Russia, Pentagon says

By Phil Stewart WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter has not spoken with his Russian counterpart since becoming Pentagon chief seven months ago, and has no plans to do so, despite Washington's concern about Russia's military presence inside Syria, the Pentagon said on Tuesday. The disclosure underscores an apparent shift that has been quietly taking place in the wake of Russia's annexation of Crimea last year, with the Pentagon deferring top-level national security discussions with Moscow to the State Department. The outgoing chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Martin Dempsey, has also not had a conversation with his Russian counterpart since July, 2014, his office said. Secretary of State John Kerry, on the other hand, regularly speaks about national security matters including Syria with his Russian counterpart, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, including during a telephone call on Tuesday. "Right now, Secretary Kerry is taking the lead with regard to discussions with Russia. And we're going to leave it at that," Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook told a news briefing. Last week, Moscow called for military-to-military cooperation with the United States to avert "unintended incidents" as it stages navy exercises off the coast of Syria. The Pentagon said there was no formal impediment that had kept the Defense Secretary from speaking to Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. "We have had our challenges with our relationship with Russia over the last few months, of course," Cook said. "If for some reason ... the secretary believes it makes sense to engage with his Russian counterpart, he will. At this particular moment in time, that's not happening." The Pentagon says Moscow appears to be establishing a forward air operations base in Syria. U.S. officials have cited Russian deployments of artillery, tanks and other military hardware to a Syrian airfield. The United States is using Syrian air space to lead a campaign of air strikes against Islamic State, and a greater Russian presence raises the prospect of the Cold War superpower foes encountering each other on the battlefield. The United States said its focus with Moscow was on diplomatic outreach, as opposed to military-to-military talks. "If we think mil-mil discussions would be useful, we wouldn't hesitate. For now, diplomatic channels provide the best opportunity for constructive engagement," a senior Obama administration official said. (Reporting by Phil Stewart; additional reporting by Roberta Rampton and Arshad Mohammed in Washington; Editing by David Gregorio)