Russia’s top military officer gave his US counterpart advance notice of Mediterranean Sea drills

By LOLITA C. BALDOR and ELLEN KNICKMEYER The Associated Press

In this photo taken from video released by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, the Admiral Golovko frigate of the Russian navy is seen during drills in the Mediterranean Sea. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service photo via AP)[ASSOCIATED PRESS]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Russia’s top military officer called his U.S. counterpart to give advance warning of Russia’s drills in the Mediterranean Sea, officials said Thursday, in what was a rare contact amid high tensions between Moscow and Washington.

Russia’s General Staff chief, Gen. Valery Gerasimov, reached out to Gen. CQ Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, on Nov. 27 to inform him about a planned Russian naval exercise involving missile launches in the eastern Mediterranean, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

“The information was delivered in order to prevent possible incidents in view of U.S. and NATO warships presence near the area of the Russian exercise,” the ministry said in a statement.

The ministry previously reported that the three-day Russian navy drills that wrapped up Tuesday involved two frigates performing practice launches of new hypersonic Zircon cruise missiles and submarine that fired Kalibr cruise missiles. As part of the drills, Russian forces also fired an Onyx missile from a ground launcher at a practice sea target.

The Pentagon said Brown and Gerasimov discussed a number of global and regional security issues, including the conflict in Ukraine, in their first call since Brown became chairman in October 2023. Gerasimov informed Brown of the live-fire exercise, but did not discuss specific weapons systems that would be used.

Separately, Andriy Yermak, chief of staff to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, met with two senior officials in the incoming Trump administration, working to nail down crucial support for Ukraine from President-elect Donald Trump.

Yermak was in the U.S. on Wednesday for talks with Republican Rep. Mike Waltz, Trump’s pick for his national security adviser, and Keith Kellogg, a retired lieutenant general whom Trump has named as an envoy for Ukraine, a person familiar with the meeting said. The person was not authorized to publicly discuss the matter and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Neither side gave immediate details of the session. It was one of many meetings that Trump aides are having with foreign representatives before Trump takes office Jan. 20, 2025.

Trump, a longtime admirer of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has called for bringing a quick end to fighting in Russia’s nearly 3-year war against Ukraine’s Western-aligned government. He has given few details of his plans.

Ukrainians and many of their supporters hope for continued U.S. military and diplomatic support to allow the country to get the best terms possible in any eventual ceasefire negotiations.