NAVAL AIR STATION SIGONELLA, Italy (AP) - Russia has informed the United States that Moscow is willing to continue talks to ensure the two countries' aircraft don't interfere with each other over Syria, senior U.S. military officials said Tuesday.
But a Russian defense official said the talks should be much broader than what the Pentagon is seeking.
Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said a response to the Pentagon's request for talks came through the U.S. Embassy in Moscow and reached U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter while he was flying from Moron Air Base in Spain to Sigonella, Italy.
Earlier Tuesday, Carter had called on Russian leaders to contact the Pentagon immediately to discuss Moscow's military activities in Syria, reflecting urgent concerns about Russian aircraft violating Turkish airspace. NATO on Monday denounced Russia for "irresponsible behavior" for allowing its warplanes to cross into Turkey.
Russian Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov said the Russians want broad discussions on international cooperation between Russia and the U.S.-led coalition fighting the Islamic State.
"Regrettably, the Americans would like to limit our cooperation to technical issues relating to interaction between our pilots," Antonov said.