Lloyd Austin and Mark Milley called their Russian counterparts for the first time in months
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin contacted his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu on Wednesday to discuss for the first time in months the downing of a US spy drone in the waters of the Black Sea near Crimea.
According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, Shoigun told Austin that the incident occurred because the Americans violated the airspace restrictions declared by Russia with relevant international notifications. Shoigu called the flights of American drones near the Russian coast “provocative in nature” and tensions in the Black Sea risk escalating.
Although Russia does not want such a development, it will “Continue to respond proportionately to all provocations.” Shoigu said: He added that the two nuclear powers “One must act as responsibly as possible” which includes keeping the military channel open to discuss any crisis.
Speaking at a Pentagon press briefing, Austin confirmed that he made the call and said it was: “It is important that the great powers be models of transparency and communication.” However, he insisted the US would “Continue to fly and operate where international law allows.”
Shoigu and Austin last spoke in October 2022, according to the AP. Top military officials also held a phone conversation on the issue, with US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Milley contacting his Russian counterpart, Gen. Valery Gerasimov.
On Tuesday, US European Command announced that two Russian Su-27 jets had carried out the attack “unsafe and unprofessional wiretapping” An MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicle that was conducting an intelligence, reconnaissance and reconnaissance (ISR) mission in the international waters of the Black Sea. According to the US military, one of the planes hit the propeller of the drone, as a result of which the operators dropped the drone into the water.
The Russian Defense Ministry, however, said that at no point did any of the adopters make contact with the drone or use its aircraft’s weapons. Moscow said the drone stalled and crashed after performing a sharp maneuver.
Anatoly Antonov, Russia’s ambassador to the United States, said he told the State Department that American drones have no business being so close to the Russian border. The drone reportedly landed just 60 kilometers off the coast of Crimea when it crashed.
For more than a year, the US has flown drones and other surveillance aircraft near the Russian border, providing intelligence and targeting information to the Ukrainian government, along with weapons, ammunition and money, while insisting it is not a party to the conflict. Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev said on Wednesday that the drone incident took place “One More Confirmation” The US was directly involved.