Russian and US army chiefs of staff held phone call -RIA
"The two military leaders exchanged their views on issues of mutual concern," a US military readout of the call said.
By REUTERSChairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army General Mark Milley arrives to brief members of the U.S. Senate on developments with Iran after attacks by Iran on U.S. forces in Iraq, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., January 8, 2020(photo credit: REUTERS/TOM BRENNER)
Chiefs of staff of the Russian and US militaries held a telephone call, the US military and RIA news agency reported on Wednesday.Neither side provided details of the call between Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley and General Valery Gerasimov, the head of Russian's military general staff."The two military leaders exchanged their views on issues of mutual concern," a US military readout of the call said.Similar calls between the top military officials in the United States and Russia have taken place occasionally, including one earlier this year.While they did not give more information, the call comes as Ukraine has said that Russia is building up armed forces near its borders in a threat to the country's security.Milley spoke with his Ukrainian counterpart on Wednesday as well.Ukraine and Russia have traded blame for a spike in violence in the conflict, which Kyiv says has killed 14,000 people since 2014.Ukraine, Western countries and NATO accuse Russia of sending troops and heavy weapons to prop up separatists. Moscow says it only provides political and humanitarian support to the rebels and says Russians fighting in Ukraine are volunteers.
