Russia talks about Minister Belousov's urgent call to the Pentagon

In a phone call on July 12, Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov "sent a very serious warning" to US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin about the risk of uncontrollable escalation due to the actions of Kiev and Washington, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told state news agency TASS.

"All contacts with US representatives at the middle and higher levels, state and political , are aimed entirely in the interests of all parties. The recent contact of the two defense ministers is no exception," Deputy Foreign Minister Ryabkov said on July 31, commenting on the phone call.

"A very serious warning has been sent by the Russian side regarding new provocations from Kiev," Ryabkov said. "This warning is aimed at avoiding further dangerous escalation, which could have completely uncontrollable consequences," the Russian diplomat said.

Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov (left) and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. Photo: Morning News

Earlier, the New York Times on July 26 quoted a source saying that Mr. Belousov had called his American counterpart Lloyd Austin on July 12. The US newspaper claimed that the two ministers discussed a "secret operation" that Ukraine was allegedly preparing to carry out against Russia.

US officials told the newspaper that Russia was believed to be intent on finding out whether the US was involved in Kiev's plans.

The sources indicated that the Pentagon was unaware of the Ukrainian operation, but found Moscow's warning "so serious that they contacted Kiev and urged Kiev not to carry out this operation, if such plans actually existed."

The New York Times writes that although Ukraine depends on the United States, the Ukrainian government is not always straightforward with its partners, especially on issues related to Russia.

According to the publication, such operations displease US officials because they do not improve Ukraine's position on the battlefield, but risk increasing the scale of the conflict and causing concern among European allies.

The fact that the phone call took place between Mr. Belousov and Mr. Austin was confirmed by the press services of both the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation and the Pentagon, but these agencies did not provide details.

Mr Austin also spoke with Ukraine’s defence minister, Rustem Umerov, but the Pentagon did not say whether the issue of “conspiracies” against Moscow came up in the conversation. Ukrainian officials did not comment on the matter to The New York Times.

Minh Duc (According to TASS, VPK)

Source: https://www.nguoiduatin.vn/nga-noi-ve-cuoc-goi-gap-cua-bo-truong-belousov-toi-lau-nam-goc-204240731213110582.htm