The Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Charles Brown, held a phone conversation last week with the Chief of the General Staff of the russian Armed Forces, Valery Gerasimov. This was reported by Voice of America on December 4, citing the Pentagon.
It was noted that this was Brown's first conversation with his russian counterpart. Brown was appointed Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff last year, while Gerasimov had previously spoken with his predecessor, Mark Milley.
"The leaders discussed a range of global and regional security issues, including the ongoing conflict in Ukraine", - said a statement from General Brown’s representative.
The conversation took place on November 27, but "at General Gerasimov’s request, General Brown agreed not to announce the call in advance". The call was initiated by the russian Ministry of Defense, the Pentagon representative added.
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, citing ABC, reported that Gerasimov called Brown to warn him about upcoming test launches of hypersonic missiles from russian ships in the Mediterranean Sea. On December 3, the russian Ministry of Defense publicly announced that the tests had taken place in the eastern Mediterranean.
According to The New York Times, Gerasimov also told his American counterpart that the "Oreshnik" tests were planned long before the Biden administration authorized Ukraine to use ATACMS missiles against targets on internationally recognized russian territory.
"The Moscow Times" Telegram channel highlighted that Gerasimov’s statement—that the "Oreshnik" launch was pre-planned and not a reaction to Ukraine's use of American ATACMS missiles—essentially contradicted putin's earlier claims.