U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley spoke by phone with top Russian military officer, Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov, on Tuesday amid growing tensions between the nations over Ukraine. According to a readout of the call released by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the pair discussed “discussed several security-related issues of concern.” The phone call is “a continuation of communication between both leaders to ensure risk reduction and operational de-confliction,” it states. “In accordance with past practice, both have agreed to keep the specific details of their conversation private,” the readout notes. The Russian Defense Ministry said in a separate statement that they “discussed the ongoing issues of international security,” without elaborating. It comes amid escalating tensions between Moscow and Washington over reports of a troop build-up at Ukraine’s border, with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken suggesting earlier this month that Russia may be …