After the hit with Oreshnik! General Valery Gerasimov has spoken with US Army Chief of Staff Charles Brown

Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Army Valery Gerasimov spoke by phone last week with the head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the United States Charles Brown, reports the American newspaper The New York Times, noting that this was the first discussion between the two generals.

According to Brown's press secretary, the conversation took place on November 27, but "at the request of General Gerasimov, General Brown agreed not to pre-announce the call”. The request to hold it was made by the Ministry of Defense in Moscow.

"The parties discussed a number of global and regional security issues, including the ongoing conflict in Ukraine,”, the statement said.

The conversation took place six days after Russia launched a new nuclear-capable intermediate-range ballistic missile – "Oreshnik“, against Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin explained that its use was a response to Ukrainian strikes with American and British weapons on targets in the country.

At the same time, according to officials, during the conversation, Gerasimov specified to Brown that the launch of "Oreshnik“ was planned long before the Joe Biden administration agreed to allow Kiev to use long-range US missiles to strike deep into Russian territory.

The NYT notes that it is unclear why Gerasimov wanted to keep the phone call with Brown public. Gerasimov's last contact with the US Army chief of staff was in October 2022, when he had a telephone conversation with Brown's predecessor, General Mark Milley.