The Russian ambassador to the US has said that there is a “cause for concern” following the drone crash over the Black Sea on Tuesday.
On Tuesday two Russian Su-27 fighter jets attempted to intercept a US Reaper Drone resulting in one warplane colliding downing the US aircraft.
The US military said that the Russian fighter jets had dumped fuel on the MQ-9 drone in an attempt to blind or damage it.
The US Air Force said that the Russian fighter jets operated in an “unsafe and unprofessional act” which resulted in the US MQ-9 drone to crash over the Black Sea in “international airspace.”
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But, Russian Ambassador Anatoly Antonov said in response, “the unacceptable activity of the US military in the close proximity to our borders is a cause for concern.”
He accused the US of “collecting intelligence, which is subsequently used by the Kyiv regime to strike at our armed forces and territory.”
Speaking to state media agency TASS, Antonov warned, “We view this incident as a provocation.”
He added, “We don’t want any confrontation between the US and the Russian Federation. We are in favour of pragmatic relations for the interest of the people of the US and Russian Federation.
“We have exchanged our remarks on the issue because we have some differences on what has happened today.”
Elisabeth Braw, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington warned that we are now at a “very sensitive stage” in the conflict.
This is the first direct military contact between Russia and the West that has been made public over “international airspace.”
The UK has waded into the row and told Moscow that they must “respect” international airspace.
The British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said speaking at the defence show in Tokyo, Japan, “The key here is that all parties respect international air space and we urge the Russians to do so.
“The Americans have said they think it is unprofessional.”
The White House spokesman John Kirby said that the US President was briefed over the “dangerous” incident which ended with the Russian Su-27 fighter jet striking the propeller of the drone.
Kirby said that Russia have acted in an “unsafe and unprofessional” manner and the downing of the US aircraft is “unique in that regard.”
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