As the U.S. and NATO rush weapons into Ukraine, Pentagon officials want more military channels to Vladimir Putin’s top leaders. But Russia’s not picking up the phone
with Russian counterparts, some level of back-channel communications is more necessary than ever.
That included redirecting a “pretty robust” operation of spy planes and drones flying over Ukrainian airspace, the official said. The U.S. and its allies are stepping up air patrols along NATO’s eastern region and on Saturday announced a slew of new arms shipments for Ukrainian forces.publicly pushed back
The Biden administration has also made it clear to Russia that it will not sit out the conflict if Russia attacks a NATO ally. “We’re going to do what we need to do to defend every inch of NATO territory,” Kirby told reporters.But the rhetoric out of Moscow has only grown more bombastic.
Only NATO and Russian military officials can effectively “deconflict” their forces in the region and ensure clear “signaling and intent,” Rusten added. “The military-to-military links are the most important.” “Obviously, our national security team has a range of means of communicating with the Russians,” she said.“It does not mean we have ruled out diplomacy forever,” Psaki added. “[T]he president remains open to engaging on — at a leader-to-leader level, but this is not the moment.”A history of de-escalation communication