HELSINKI, Finland — Washington’s top military officer held “businesslike” talks on Georgia, Afghanistan and missile defense with his Russian counterpart Tuesday, a sign of thawing relations between the two powers.
Held at an isolated manor house in Finland, it was the highest-level military meeting between the two countries since Russia’s war with U.S. ally Georgia in August.
Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Russian Gen. Nikolai Makarov “discussed a wide range of issues, including the future of NATO and the current status of missile-defense systems in Europe,” said Kim Hargan, a spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Finland.
Mullen later called U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, saying they had a “productive, businesslike conversation,” Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell said in Washington, adding that Gates was pleased with the outcome.
A U.S. defense official said Makarov, who became Russia’s top military officer in June, suggested the meeting and that the two military leaders covered a range of topics, including Georgia, Black Sea operations and Afghanistan as it related to NATO involvement.
