WASHINGTON — President Vladimir Putin’s launch of a nuclear-capable ballistic missile into Ukraine two weeks in the past was not in response to the current US choice to permit Kyiv to strike deeper into Russia, a prime Kremlin army officer informed the chief of the Joint Workers in a secret name final week.
Chief of the Russian Armed Forces’ Common Workers Gen. Valery V. Gerasimov held a labeled name with Chief of the Joint Workers Air Power Gen. CQ Brown final week, simply six days after Moscow launched a brand new missile dubbed Oreshnik — Russian for hazelnut tree — to strike a facility in Dnipro, Ukraine, the Pentagon confirmed to The Put up on Thursday.
Whereas Putin claimed the blast got here as a response to the US coverage shift final month to permit Ukraine to launch longer-range ATACMS missiles into Russia, unnamed officers informed the New York Occasions that Gerasimov within the dialog mentioned that the missile launch had been deliberate lengthy earlier than the US agreed to let Ukraine strike deeper into Russia.
The decision occurred Nov. 27 “following a request by the Russian Ministry of Protection,” Joint Workers spokesperson Navy Capt. Jereal Dorsey mentioned in a press release.
“This was the primary time the leaders spoke since Gen. Brown grew to become Chairman,” Dorsey mentioned. “The leaders mentioned quite a few world and regional safety points to incorporate the continuing battle in Ukraine.”
Whereas it’s commonplace for Russia and the US to carry deconfliction talks, such conversations are sometimes introduced shortly after they happen. In addition they generally happen earlier than main ballistic missile launches to keep away from miscalculations that would result in nuclear struggle.
“On the request of Gen. Gerasimov, Gen. Brown agreed to not proactively announce the decision,” Dorsey mentioned.
The Pentagon didn’t disclose why Gerasimov didn’t need Brown to announce their dialog earlier.
Although the Oreshnik was carrying typical weapons, it has the capability to carry nuclear warheads and anxious NATO members, together with the US, when it was launched.
“This was new sort of deadly functionality that was deployed on the battlefield, in order that was actually of concern,” Pentagon deputy spokeswoman Sabrina Singh mentioned on the time.
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