A Mysterious Plot Prompts a Rare Call From Russia to the Pentagon - NYTimes - Selected Articles
Michael Novakhov's favorite articles A Mysterious Plot Prompts a Rare Call From Russia to the Pentagon posted at 05:48:18 UTC via nytimes.com SKIP ADVERTISEMENT Russia’s defense minister said he needed to talk to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin about an alleged Ukrainian operation. What happened next remains murky. Listen to this article · 7:25 min Learn more Since Russia invaded Ukraine, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III has rarely spoken to his Russian counterpart. Credit...Kenny Holston/The New York Times By Eric Schmitt Earlier this month, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III received an unusual request from an unlikely caller: His Russian counterpart wanted to talk. Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Mr. Austin had spoken by phone with Russia’s defense minister only five other times, almost always at the Pentagon’s initiative and often in an effort to avoid miscalculations that could escalate the conflict. In fact, Mr. Austin had reached out to Russia