In the first call, a Russian defense official warned a US general about large-scale military exercises in the Mediterranean Sea

In his first phone call, Russia’s defense chief warned a US general about large-scale Russian military exercises in the eastern Mediterranean, according to a US official, and tensions between the two countries over the ongoing war in Ukraine.

The call between the Russian Chief of Staff, Gen. Valery Gerasimov and US Air Chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. CQ Brown, initiated by Gerasimov, took place on 27 November.

On Tuesday, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that it had launched hypersonic missiles and cruise missiles as part of exercises in the eastern Mediterranean. Russian frigates, Admiral of the Soviet Union Fleet Gorshkov and Admiral Golovko, fired Tsirkon hypersonic missiles as part of the exercise, involving the Russian Navy and Aerospace Forces. The Novorossiysk submarine launched Kalibr cruise missiles at a naval target, according to the ministry.

The operation involved more than 1,000 soldiers; 10 ships; and 24 aircraft, including MiG-31 fighter jets armed with Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, the ministry said.

Gerasimov did not specifically mention the launch of hypersonic missiles in the call, according to the US official.

The US currently has two destroyers operating in the Mediterranean Sea, the USS Bulkeley and the USS Arleigh Burke, according to a Navy spokesman.

The New York Times had first reported on the phone call between Gerasimov and Brown.

This was the first phone call between Gerasimov and Brown since Brown became Chairman of the Joint Chiefs more than a year ago. The official reading of the conversation usually follows calls between Brown and his military colleagues, but the Russians asked not to do so in this case.

Brown’s spokesman confirmed that the call had taken place but did not provide details, saying only, “The leaders discussed a number of global and regional security issues to include the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.”

Captain Jereal Dorsey said in a statement, “At Gen. Gerasimov’s request, Gen. Brown agreed not to announce the call.” There is no mention in the statement of exercises in the Mediterranean Sea.

The U.S. official said the two also discussed U.S. concerns about North Korea’s military deployment and Russia’s use of a multi-warhead ballistic missile in late November. Another topic that came up on the call, the official said, was that the US had given Ukraine permission to fire long-range ATACMS missiles into Russia.

The US and Russia maintain de-confliction lines in certain combat zones to avoid unintended encounters when the two militaries are operating near each other. The line has been used recently in the Middle East to prevent any conflict between US and Russian forces operating in Syria, the Pentagon said.

But since the war in Ukraine began nearly three years ago, US and Russian military officials have not been on speaking terms, despite repeated attempts to reach out to the US as the war unfolded. Gerasimov spoke with the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Mark Milley in March 2023 after a Russian warplane hit and shot down a US MQ-9 Reaper drone over the Black Sea.

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