(VOVworld) – The Pentagon said the US Department of Defense video conference Thursday with the Russian Ministry of Defense to discuss the improvement of safety of military jets operating in Syria.

Department of Defense Press Secretary Peter Cook said it was a constructive conversation which will be continued in the same format.

Russian and US officials signed a Memorandum of Understanding last October on safety procedures for air operations in Syria.

A US-led coalition of some 60 nations has been carrying out airstrikes against IS in Syria since September 2014 without the approval of the Syrian government or the UN Security Council.