WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with his Russian counterpart about a U.S. surveillance drone that crashed into the Black Sea after an encounter with a Russian fighter jet, as officials sought to keep the incident from further escalating tension already high over the invasion of Ukraine.
Austin told reporters at a press conference in Washington that he spoke to Sergei Shoigu about what he called Russia’s “dangerous, reckless, and unprofessional behavior in international airspace,” amid what was shaping up to be a race to recover the wreckage of the MQ-9 Reaper drone. The U.S. said two Russian fighter jets harassed the drone over the Black Sea by dumping fuel on it and flying in front of it, before one of them hit its propeller and forced it to crash.
“The United States will fly and operate wherever international law allows,” Austin told a briefing. “We take any potential for escalation very seriously and that’s why I believe it’s important to keep the lines of communication open,” Austin said. “I think it’s really key that we’re able to pick up the phone and talk to each other.”
