Top US, Russian Military Generals To Meet Thursday
by Tyler Durden
ZeroHedge.com
Feb 15, 2017
With a Russian ship sailing in very close proximity to the primary east coast submarine base, and tensions between the US – and perhaps the Trump administration – and Russia, once again rising it seems like an odd moment to organize a meeting between the top US military general and his Russian counterpart on Thursday in Azerbaijan, the first such meeting between the two since military cooperation between the two nations was suspended in 2014 following the hostilities in Ukraine.
U.S. Marine Corps General and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Joseph Dunford will meet with the head of the Russian army’s General Staff Valery Gerasimov on Thursday in Azerbaijan, Dunford’s office said in a statement on Wednesday.
“The military leaders will discuss a variety of issues including the current state of U.S.-Russian military relations and the importance of consistent and clear military-to-military communication to prevent miscalculation and potential crises,” the Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said.
Accompanying Dunfort will be Secretary of State Rex Tillerson who will also meet his Russian counterpart on Thursday, as the Trump administration evaluates the future direction of US-Russian relations.
Tillerson departed Wednesday for a G-20 ministerial meeting in Bonn, Germany, his inaugural international trip as the United States’ top diplomat. He’ll be joined in Bonn by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, and representatives from the world’s other major economies.
The Russian Foreign Ministry announced Wednesday that Tillerson and Lavrov will meet on the sidelines of the conference on Thursday. It will be their first such meeting since Tillerson took office. Tillerson’s trip comes as the Trump administration is seeking to reassure skittish allies in Europe the US has their backs, all while exploring new areas for cooperation with Russia as advocated by President Donald Trump.
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