Russia Phones Lloyd Austin After NATO Summit

(FeaturedHeadlines.com) – US Defense Secretary Llyod Austin received a phone call from Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov, who expressed his concerns against the recently-concluded NATO summit in Washington where NATO members vowed to support Ukraine against Russian hegemonic ambitions.

According to the Pentagon’s press release, Austin urged continuous communication between the two countries during the war. Defense chiefs of both countries spoke to each other on June 25 last time, which was their first conversation since March last year due to the deteriorating bilateral relations between the two countries.

Due to this communication meltdown, geopolitical analysts have warned against a major and sudden escalation in the Ukraine war that could even put Russia and the US directly at odds.

In its statement, the Russian Defense Ministry stated that the two chiefs discussed the ongoing situation in Ukraine, adding that the Kremlin expressed its concerns to the US against the continuous American weapon supply to the Ukrainian military.

This communication happened after the recently ended NATO summit where participating countries pledged $43.28 billion in Ukraine aid.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg wanted the alliance’s members to enter a multi-year deal to support Ukraine, but the allies failed to reach an agreement on any such financial package. Diplomats who attended the event revealed that NATO countries have agreed to evaluate the contribution of each country towards Ukraine every year before revising the financial aid volume for the war-torn country.

Russia has consistently blamed the US for expanding NATO to its borders, and the recent inclusion of Finland and Sweden in the alliance has only strained the relationship between the two nuclear powers. The Putin administration has also warned America and many European countries not to allow Ukraine to use their weapons against the Russian army.

Just days after the phone call, the US ambassador to the United Nations asked the Russian Foreign Minister to release Americans detained in Russian jails. The US specifically asked for the immediate release of journalist Evan Gershkovich and former US Marine Paul Whelan and accused Russia of using detainees as “bargaining chips.”

Copyright 2024, FeaturedHeadlines.com