A RAF Typhoon monitors Russian warships Pyotr Velikiy and the Admiral Kuznetsov (rear) as they pass close to UK territorial waters, in this photograph released in London on January 25, 2017. Ministry of Defence/Crown Copyright 2017/Handout via REUTERS

MOSCOW (Reuters) - One of Britain’s most senior military commanders met Russian military chiefs in Moscow on Tuesday to discuss how to reduce tensions between the two countries, the Interfax news agency reported.

British Vice Chief of the Defence Staff General Gordon Messenger met General Alexander Zhuravlev, the deputy chief of Russia’s general staff, and discussed how best to prevent accidents and other incidents involving the two countries’ militaries, the news agency said.

Tensions between London and Moscow escalated after Russia’s 2014 annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea and its intervention in Syria.

Britain has complained in particular about what it says are frequent flights by Russian long-range bombers close to its air space, while the movements of Russian naval ships near British waters have garnered widespread media attention.