Amid China controversy, Milley holds Russia meeting for 'risk reduction,' keeps conversation details private

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley met with his Russian counterpart in Helsinki Wednesday — a meeting which served as a “continuation” of talks between the two nations focused on “risk reduction” and “de-confliction.”

Milley’s meeting came after days of scrutiny following allegations included in the book "Peril," co-written by Washington Post associate editor Bob Woodward and national political correspondent Robert Costa.

The allegations, made public last week, said Milley made two secret phone calls, both to his Chinese counterpart, Gen. Li Zuocheng of the People’s Liberation Army, during the Trump administration. The book alleges that the phone calls took place prior to the 2020 presidential election, on Oct. 30, 2020, and then two days after the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, on Jan. 8, 2021.