NYT: July 12, Beloussov warned Austin about Ukraine's preparing operation against Russia
On July 12, at the initiative of the Russian side, a telephone conversation took place between Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov and Pentagon Chief Lloyd Austin. During the dialogue, the head of the Russian Defense Ministry warned his American counterpart that Ukraine was preparing a covert operation against Russia with the approval of the United States. This was reported by The New York Times (NYT), citing three US officials, one of whom is familiar with the content of the conversation.
«Belousov called to convey a warning: the Russians had discovered a Ukrainian covert operation being prepared against Russia, which they believed was approved by the Americans,» the publication says.
It is noted that the American side was very surprised by such statements by Belousov about the conspiracy being prepared by Kiev. NYT sources said that Washington took such statements by the Russian minister very seriously and asked to contact the Ukrainian side to dissuade them from such actions.
Recall that on July 12, at the initiative of the Russian side, a second telephone conversation took place between Andrei Belousov and Lloyd Austin. The Russian Defense Ministry reported that the issue of preventing security threats and reducing the risk of possible escalation was discussed during the talks.