Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu discussed measures to build trust and transparency with U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper during a phone conversation, the Russian Defense Ministry said Tuesday.

"The heads of the defense ministries discussed measures to build trust and transparency to prevent incidents during the two sides' military activities," the ministry said in a statement.

Shoigu and Esper also discussed the situation in various regions of the world, according to the statement.