New York Times: Rare call between Moscow and the Pentagon over a mysterious Ukrainian plot!
The New York Times revealed that US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin received an unusual request from an unexpected caller earlier this month, his Russian counterpart wanted to talk.
The New York Times noted in an article published on Friday that the new Russian defense minister, Andrei Belousov, on July 12, called his US counterpart to convey a warning to him after the Russians discovered a Ukrainian secret operation in the making, against Russia, which they believed had the blessing of the Americans.
The Russian defense minister, asked Austin, according to US officials briefed on the call, “Was the Pentagon aware of the plot? There is a possibility that it will increase tensions between Moscow and Washington”.
Two US officials said that Pentagon officials were surprised by the allegation, and weren’t aware of any such conspiracy, and that Belousov’s revelations were taken seriously enough that the Americans called the Ukrainians and told them, “If you’re thinking of doing something like that, don’t”.
Despite Ukraine’s deep reliance on the United States, Ukrainian officials aren’t always transparent with their American counterparts about their military operations, which hasn’t materially improved Ukraine’s position on the battlefield, but has risked alienating European allies and expanding the war.
While it remains unclear whether this month’s Ukrainian plot is imminent, as well as what form it may have taken, Pentagon and White House officials say nothing has happened so far, refusing to describe the call-in detail but stressing the need for dialogue between adversaries.
This rare behind-the-scenes glimpse of a sensitive call between the two defense ministers illustrates what goes on in private conversations between US and Russian officials, and how the US and Russia are trying to manage the risk of escalation behind the scenes.
