Top U.S., Russian generals speak by phone amid tensions

FILE PHOTO: Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark A. Milley looks on during a House Armed Services Committee hearing on the conclusion of military operations in Afghanistan at the Rayburn House Office building on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, U.S. September 29, 2021. Olivier Douliery/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

The top Russian military officer, Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov, spoke by telephone on Tuesday with U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, the Interfax news agency quoted Russia's Defence Ministry as saying.

The call comes at a time when Washington has accused Moscow of massing troops near Ukraine and Russia has blamed the West for provoking tension.

FILE PHOTO: Chief of the General Staff of Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov delivers a speech during the annual Moscow Conference on International Security (MCIS) in Moscow, Russia April 24, 2019. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/File Photo

(Reporting by Polina Devitt; Editing by Peter Graff)