Russia's top military leaders have been refusing calls from US defense officials since the invasion of Ukraine began

[Rogue Valley]

Russia's top military leaders have been refusing calls from US defense officials since the invasion of Ukraine began

3.24.22
Russia's top military officials have repeatedly been declining calls from their US counterparts since the country launched its invasion of Ukraine a month ago, The Washington Post reported. Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby told the Post in a statement on Wednesday that US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, have tried multiple times to reach out to their respective Russian counterparts Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Gen. Valery Gerasimov.
However, the Russian leaders "have so far declined to engage" in the phone calls, said Kirby, per the Post. Earlier this month, Russia and the US set up a direct communication channel to avoid any accidental conflict or misunderstanding between Russian forces and US military assets near Ukraine. Despite this arrangement, the refusal of Russia's military leaders to respond to their US counterparts' calls suggests that Washington and Moscow's relationship could be deteriorating.

The special US/Russia deconfliction line is checked twice a day to ensure it is working, but the Russian military refuses to engage with American counterparts.

Top Russian military leaders repeatedly decline calls from U.S., prompting fears of ‘sleepwalking into war’