US top defence official dials Russian counterpart amid mounting trouble at Ukraine border

US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Mark Milley on Friday dialled his Russian counterpart General Valery Gerasimov, as  Washington amplified its warnings that Moscow could invade Ukraine "any time now." The top military expressed their perspectives on international security amid deteriorating situation along the eastern borders of Europe, Joint Staff spokesperson Col. Dave Butler said in a statement. He also informed that adhering to "past practices" the generals agreed to keep the gory details of the conversation private.

The US and Russian military general "discussed several security-related issues of concern. In accordance with past practice, both have agreed to keep the specific details of their conversation private," Joint Staff spokesperson Col. Dave Butler said in a statement.

Russian Defence Ministry also confirmed the phone call with the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman. "On February 11, 2022, a phone conversation took place between Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation - First Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation Valery Gerasimov and US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Milley, during which the military officials discussed relevant issues of international security," the Russian ministry said, as quoted by Tass. The top military officials last spoke on November 23, to discuss Russian military build-up along the Ukraine-Russia border. As per Moscow, General Milley and General Gerasimov met in Finland last September and expressed views on ways to prevent unprecedented military incidents between the two countries.

The US warns of 'imminent' invasion of Kyiv

The phone comes after US National Security Advisor (NSA) Jake Sullivan on Friday warned of a potential assault of Ukraine by Russia "any time now." He added, the invasion "could happen" before the end of the Beijing Winter Olympics. On the other hand, US State Secretary Antony Blinken at the Foreign Minister-level meets of QUAD nations issued alerts against Russia's increased military operations in the Donbas region. Following the cautionary alerts, the US, Britain, Australia, and New Zealand have urged their citizens to fly out of Ukraine "immediately" as the situation in the ex-Soviet nation "could change in a short notice." Meanwhile, European Union has also asked its non-essential staff to depart.

For the unknown, Ukraine and Russia have remained in conflict since 2014 when the latter invaded and annexed the Crimean peninsula. More than 14,000 people died during the battle that devasted Ukraine's industrial heartland Donbas. The rift between the ex-Soviet nations further widened after Russia began deploying soldiers on the borders of Ukraine, stoking fears of a potential invasion.

Despite the linguistic and cultural divide, Russian President Vladimir Putin claims Ukraine and Russia are "one people," which is refused by Ukrainians. In addition, Putin also opposed Kyiv joining NATO and European Union. Currently, over 1,35,000 Russian troops are amassed in Donbas, indicating an imminent war with the former province that chose to break away from Moscow's political circle.

Image: AP