After the full-scale invasion of the Russian army in Ukraine, high-level contacts between Moscow and Washington almost stopped for obvious reasons. It is a real rarity for Russia's defense minister to talk to the Pentagon, especially on his own accord.
The newspaper “New York Times“ writes that earlier this month, on the initiative of the Russian side, a telephone conversation took place between the Russian Minister of Defense Andrei Belousov and the head of the Pentagon, Lloyd Austin.
The Russian representative has warned the US that “Ukraine is preparing a secret operation against Russia” with the approval of the Americans, which will raise tensions and may lead to escalation. Three sources have confirmed the mysterious call.
It is not revealed what Ukraine's secret plan was, nor what evidence there is that the US may be involved. “Belousov called to convey a warning: the Russians discovered a Ukrainian covert operation being prepared against Russia, which they believe was approved by the Americans,”, the publication said.
It is noted that the American side was greatly surprised by Belousov's statements about the upcoming conspiracy on the part of Kiev. The interlocutors of the American publication said that Washington took such statements of the Russian minister very seriously and asked to contact the Ukrainian side to dissuade them from such actions.
Despite Ukraine's deep dependence on the United States for military, intelligence and diplomatic support, Ukrainian officials have not always been transparent with their American counterparts about their military operations, particularly those against Russian targets behind enemy lines. The US is not always happy with such developments.
Russian officials have insisted publicly that strikes like the one on the Crimean bridge could not have happened without US approval and support. The Pentagon said that Lloyd Austin had urged that the channels of communication remain open.