Officials from Washington and Moscow are trading blame for the recent incident where a United States surveillance drone crashed after being hit by a Russian fighter jet over the Black Sea.
In a statement, the top general in the US said that the incident showed Moscow's increasingly aggressive behavior. On the other hand, Russian officials warned that the American government flying drones near Crimea risked escalating already high tensions between the two countries.
Russia and US Speak About Downed Drone
One day after the American surveillance drone crashed into international waters, defense ministers and military chiefs from both countries held rare telephone calls on Wednesday. Relations between the two countries are at their lowest point in the last few decades over Moscow's invasion of neighboring Ukraine.
In a Russian ministry statement, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told his American counterpart, Lloyd Austin, that the US surveillance drone flights near Crimea's coast were "provocative in nature" and could escalate tensions in the Black Sea zone, as per Reuters.
They added that Russia had no interest in such a development but argued that it would react in the future in due proportion. Crimea is a peninsula that was previously under Ukrainian territory before Moscow annexed it forcefully in 2014.
On the other hand, the American defense minister, Austin, declined to provide any details regarding the phone call, including whether or not he criticized the Russian intercept. However, during a news conference, he reiterated that the US intends to continue flying where international law would allow and demanded that Moscow's military aircraft operate safely and professionally.
Russia's defense ministry statement noted that the two nations should "act with a maximum of responsibility," which includes having military lines of communication during times of crisis. The US defense minister was at the Pentagon alongside Gen. Mark Milley, who is the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Retrieving the Remains of the Aircraft
On Wednesday, Moscow officials said they would try to retrieve the remnants of the American surveillance drone that crashed in the Black Sea following an intercept from Russian fighter jets, according to BBC.
Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev spoke on state television, confirming that Moscow was trying to locate the aircraft. He noted that they were not sure whether or not they could successfully retrieve the drone or not but said that they would still try.
John Kirby, a senior Washington official, said that the US was also conducting efforts to search for the missing drone. He stressed that if Russia were to locate it first, "their ability to exploit useful intelligence will be highly minimized."
Milley echoed that remark by saying that the American government has taken "mitigating measures" to ensure there was nothing of value that the Russian nation could retrieve from the drone's remnants.
American military officials said Russian fighter jets dumped fuel on the drone before it crashed into the Black Sea. The Pentagon criticized the actions of Moscow's fighter jets, calling them "reckless," said DW News.
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