Top US general speaks to Russian, Ukrainian counterparts amid war: Report

US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley on Monday was reported to have spoken with his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts amid the ongoing war between the two countries.

Speaking to Russian General Staff General Valery Gerasimov, the top US general discussed several security-related issues of concern and agreed to keep the lines of communication open, reported CNN. As per a readout of the call, the report said, the specific details of their conversation will be kept private.

Meanwhile, on the same day, Milley spoke with the Ukrainian Armed Forces General Valery Zaluzhny about the “unprovoked and ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine”. The two leaders also exchanged perspectives and assessments of the situation. The US general also reaffirmed unwavering support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The US has been sending military aid to Ukraine since the beginning of the war.

The interaction comes a day after US defence secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu for the second time in three days on Sunday. Shoigu has called several of his counterparts to warn of a drift toward “uncontrolled escalation” in Ukraine, reported Bloomberg.

On Sunday, in a rare call with his British, French, and Turkish counterparts, the Russian defence minister shared concerns about possible provocations by Kyiv with the use of a “dirty bomb”- a device that uses explosives to scatter radioactive waste. The Russian authorities have been time and again alleging that Ukraine could detonate a dirty bomb in a false flag attack and blame it on Moscow.

But Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky has rubbished these claims.