Recently, the Ukrainian army used ATACMS tactical missiles provided by the United States to launch an attack on the southwestern Crimean city of Sevastopol, resulting in several deaths and hundreds of injuries on the Russian side, including dozens of children. In the eyes of the Russian side, the original intention of the Ukrainian army to launch this attack was to kill and injure Russian civilians, otherwise it would not have deliberately carried cluster warheads while using American-made missiles. At the same time, the Russian side stressed that because the ATACMS tactical missile has special requirements for use, if the Ukrainian army wants to achieve such an operational effect, it is indispensable to have the personal participation of the US military, and the US military must have a direct connection with the damage to Russian civilians.
In response to the attack of the Ukrainian army, the Russian army launched an airstrike on Ukraine's energy infrastructure at the first time. But surprisingly, the Russian army did not take an immediate countermeasure against the United States at the first moment. In this regard, Putin's press secretary Dmitry Peskov explained that it is not that there will be no countermeasures, but that the Russian army is studying what way to respond to the US military. At this time, Moscow received a phone call from the Pentagon, in which US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin sought to have a phone call with Russia's new Secretary of Defense Belousov, which was reportedly the first time Belousov had spoken with the US side since taking office.
As for why the Russian defense minister agreed to have a phone call with the US defense minister, the outside world basically agreed that the Russian side wanted to vent its emotions and at the same time warn the other side that it would inevitably pay the price for its words and deeds. Since the outbreak of the Sevastopol attack, the anger of Russian political circles, academics, and news media against the United States has even overshadowed Ukraine for a time, and Russia is full of condemnation of the United States everywhere. There is no doubt that the Russian defense minister's consistent hard-line attitude during the phone call and his strong criticism of the vile behavior of the US military will not only make the Russian military stand more forcefully clear, but also satisfy the expectations of domestic public opinion to a greater extent.
However, in contrast, there are different opinions on why the US Secretary of Defense chose this time to speak with the Russian Defense Minister. Some people believe that it is because the Russian army only launched countermeasures against Ukraine, but it has not taken action against the US military for a long time, which makes it difficult for the US side to sit still. The U.S. military is eager to clear itself in front of the Russian military, otherwise the U.S. Secretary of Defense would not have repeatedly emphasized in the phone call that the U.S. military provides military aid to Ukraine in order to allow Ukraine to defend its "sovereign territory", and that it is up to Ukraine to decide which target Ukraine will attack with military aid, and the U.S. has never participated, and the U.S. has always adhered to the position of not sending a single soldier to Ukraine.
But there are also those who oppose it, arguing that the US military is not so afraid of retaliation from Russia at all. The reason why the US Secretary of Defense made this phone call is to reassure the American people and make them realize that the military hotline between Moscow and Washington still exists, and the US mainland is still safe. The second is to convey a message to NATO and European allies, telling "friends" that Russia is still maintaining a kind of strategic restraint and has no idea of expanding the war, and everyone can still continue to assist Ukraine to start a long-term war of attrition with Russia; The third is to let the Ukrainian army understand that the US military still has a strong deterrent power in front of the Russian army, and the Russian army's willingness to accept this phone call shows that the Russian side still has a sense of luck in a conventional war, and the Ukrainian army can fight boldly with confidence.
In addition, some people have noticed that the United States is likely to increase its participation in the Russia-Ukraine war, because a source in the White House recently released the news that the Biden administration is considering lifting the ban on "military contractors" serving in Ukraine and allowing some companies and contractors to use weapons and equipment provided by the United States for Ukraine. In other words, if this plan is implemented, it means that Ukraine will have a mercenary company similar to Wagner, not to mention that the company is full of Americans, and the equipment is all American equipment, but they are not in the US military establishment, but participate in the war as members of society, and the US military can rely on this excuse to repay the debt. Obviously, this is the US military "exploiting loopholes", but this is also bound to bring greater operational pressure to the Russian army.