Russia’s top general called chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Charles Q Brown Jr. last week as both countries grapple with a changing war in Ukraine.
Gen. Valery Gerasimov, the architect of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, spoke with Brown about how to manage escalation concerns between the two countries.
Russia recently launched a new intermediate-range ballistic missile into Ukraine that has nuclear capabilities. Russian leader Vladimir Putin said the launch was in response to Ukraine’s usage of longer-range weapons supplied by the United States and the United Kingdom.
It’s believed this was Gerasimov’s first call with Brown, at least since he was elevated to chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. His first call with the top American general since the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Mark Milley, spoke with him in October 2022, the year of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. CQ Brown, Jr., spoke with Chief of Russian General Staff Gen. Valery Gerasimov by phone on Nov. 27 following a request by the Russian Ministry of Defense,” Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesman Navy Capt. Jereal Dorsey told the Washington Examiner.
“This was the first time the leaders spoke since Gen. Brown became chairman,” he added. “The leaders discussed a number of global and regional security issues to include the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. At the request of Gen. Gerasimov, Gen. Brown agreed to not proactively announce the call.”
In the call, Gerasimov told Brown that Russia planned to use its Oreshnik ballistic missile well before the Biden administration had authorized Ukraine to use American Army Tactical Missile Systems to hit targets deeper into Russia.
The Oreshnick missile struck a weapons facility in Dnipro, Ukraine. Putin previously justified the missile launch because the United States had allowed Ukraine to use longer-range missiles.
“The regional conflict in Ukraine, previously provoked by the West, has acquired elements of a global character,” Putin said. “We are developing intermediate- and shorter-range missiles as a response to U.S. plans to produce and deploy intermediate- and shorter-range missiles in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region.”
As the conflict in Ukraine takes a turn, the Biden administration has continued its support for the country in its war against Russia. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced on Monday that the United States would provide Ukraine with an additional $725 million in military weapons.
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It’s unknown if President-elect Donald Trump will continue such support, but it’s unlikely that he’ll be as friendly to Ukraine as Biden has been.
According to Reuters, Trump advisers have been floating several proposals to end the Ukraine war that would force the country to cede territory to Russia. Their aim would be to force both countries to the negotiating table with threats to boost aid to Ukraine or cede it if the country is unwilling to cooperate.