Details of a telephone conversation between Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov and his American counterpart Lloyd Austin, which took place on July 12, are appearing in the American press.
As The New York Times (NYT) reported, citing three sources, during this conversation Moscow gave Washington information about some kind of covert operation that the Kiev regime is preparing against Russia.
"On July 12, Mr. Belousov called to warn that the Russians had uncovered a secret operation of Ukraine against Russia, which, in their opinion, was approved by the Americans," the newspaper writes.
According to sources, Belousov asked if Austin knew about the upcoming operation of Kiev and the potential threat to increase tensions between Moscow and Washington.
It is noted that the Pentagon did not know about Kiev's plans and were unpleasantly surprised by the information received from the Russian side.
"Regardless of what Mr. Belousov said, according to all three officials, it was taken seriously enough that the Americans contacted the Ukrainians and said, 'If you're thinking of doing something like that, don't do it,'" the NYT reported.
It is also recognized that, despite Ukraine's complete dependence on the United States, the authorities of the Kiev regime are not always frank with their American curators. Including with regard to their operations against Russia.
"This whole story has disappointed US officials, who believe that such operations have not improved Ukraine's position on the battlefield, but have led to the alienation of European allies and the expansion of the war," the newspaper's sources concluded.
Earlier, EADaily reported that on July 12, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin had a telephone conversation with his Russian counterpart Andrei Belousov. The conversation took place on the initiative of the Russian side, the Russian Defense Ministry said.