Austin: Milley sought ‘clarification’ from Russian counterpart on offer for assistance
The Wall Street Journal reported Monday that Milley discussed the Kremlin offer with Russian Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov when the pair met last week in Helsinki.
The conversation stemmed from a June summit between President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Geneva where Putin floated hosting U.S. troops at Russian bases in Central Asia. According to the report, Milley’s query was at the behest of the White House National Security Council staff, which wanted the Joint Chiefs chair to clarify whether the offer was serious.
“This is an issue that I believe came up during a conversation that the president had with President Putin where President Putin offered … to provide assistance,” Austin said.
The report was swiftly condemned by Republicans on Capitol Hill. The top Republicans on the House and Senate Armed Services committees as well as the House Foreign Affairs and Senate Foreign Relations panels dinged the administration and pressed for more information in a letter to Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
“Inviting Russia into discussions will not further vital U.S. counterterrorism goals, nor is it the path to the ‘stable and predictable’ relationship with Russia the Biden Administration claims it wants,” lawmakers wrote.
“Any attempt to coordinate military basing access or operations with the Russian Federation risks violating the legal prohibition on U.S.-Russian military cooperation,” they added.
With no troops left in Afghanistan, the Biden administration has been seeking locations from which to conduct “over-the-horizon” operations against terrorist groups there. Lawmakers have criticized the concept as unworkable.
Senators again bashed the administration for lacking a realistic plan to conduct counterterrorism operations following a withdrawal they contend will exacerbate terrorist threats against the U.S.
“What we’re seeing in the reports today about asking to use Russian bases, that’s just another example that we see of the Biden administration,” said Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), who pressed Austin about the discussions with Russia. “They’ve really left us in a terrible position, that we have to ask the Russians to be able to protect the United States from terrorists and we have to ask them to use their installations.”
Austin and Milley, along with U.S. Central Command chief Gen. Frank McKenzie, faced withering questions from senators over U.S. missteps in the withdrawal from Afghanistan. McKenzie told Senate Armed Services that he recommended keeping 2,500 troops in Afghanistan to keep the Taliban at bay, a recommendation Milley told senators he agreed with.
