WASHINGTON, December 5. /TASS/. Chief of Russian General Staff Gen. Valery Gerasimov and his US counterpart Gen. Charles Brown had a phone conversation on November 27 to discuss a range of security issues, including the conflict in Ukraine, Brown's spokesman Capt. JD Dorsey told ABC News.
"Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. CQ Brown, Jr., spoke with Chief of Russian General Staff Gen. Valery Gerasimov by phone on Nov. 27 following a request by the Russian Ministry of Defense," Dorsey said. "This was the first time the leaders spoke since Gen. Brown became Chairman. The leaders discussed a number of global and regional security issues to include the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. At the request of Gen. Gerasimov, Gen. Brown agreed to not proactively announce the call."
The Pentagon and the US Joint Chiefs of Staff have not yet replied to a TASS request for a comment.
The channel quoted a US official as saying that Gerasimov and Brown "discussed how to avoid a miscalculation and escalation between the two countries when it comes to Ukraine."
They reportedly discussed the US permission to use ATACMS missiles against targets inside Russia, as well as Russia's subsequent test of its Oreshnik ballistic missile with a non-nuclear warhead, the channel said.
Gerasimov also informed Brown about Russia’s plans to fire missiles from a designated area in the Mediterranean.
Russian Navy ships and aircraft of the Aerospace Forces conducted joint launches of sea-and airborne precision missiles during drills in the eastern Mediterranean, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported on Tuesday.