Top US, Russian generals spoke by phone amid tensions
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Follow topic:
WASHINGTON – The top US military officer, Air Force General CQ Brown, spoke by phone to Russia’s Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov last week, the US military said on Dec 4, the first time Gen Brown spoke to his Russian counterpart.
“The leaders discussed a number of global and regional security issues to include the ongoing conflict in Ukraine,” a spokesperson for Gen Brown said in a statement.
The rare call took place on Nov 27, but “at the request of Gen Gerasimov, Gen Brown agreed to not proactively announce the call”. The request for the call was made by the Russian Defence Ministry, the spokesperson said.
Gen Brown became the top US general in 2023, and Gen Gerasimov last spoke with Gen Brown’s predecessor, Mr Mark Milley.
Tensions have spiked in recent weeks. Ukraine fired US and British missiles at targets inside Russia, despite Moscow’s warnings that it would see such action as a major escalation.
Earlier in December, Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a televised address, said Moscow struck a Ukrainian military facility with a new medium-range, hypersonic ballistic missile known as Oreshnik (the hazel) and warned that more could follow.
US officials had said Russia notified Washington shortly before its strike. REUTERS
