First attempts at dialogue between Moscow and Washington follow after a Russian Su-27 fighter jet crashes into the propeller of a US military “Reaper” drone, forcing the US command to drop the plane into the Black Sea.
Dialogue initiatives
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu had a phone call with his American counterpart, Lloyd Austin, after the incident that increased tensions between the two superpowers. “On March 15, 2023, on the initiative of the United States, telephone conversations were held between the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation Sergei Shoigu and the United States Minister of Defense Lloyd Austin,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. This is the second meeting between Austin and Shoigu since the start of the war in Ukraine, and the first, stating that the United States “will continue to fly where international law allows.”
That’s why the two ministers are trying to avoid an escalation already feared by Kremlin hawk and Russian diplomat owner Serghei Lavrov, who attributed the US intention to “seek provocations to intensify their confrontational approach”. After Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine, the United States completely ignores the restrictions on flights in some regions off the Black Sea coast and is constantly chasing provocation. This is the Russian Foreign Minister’s reading, who later warns: “Any accident that causes a conflict between the two nuclear powers always involves very serious risks”.
Washington is not currently focusing on Lavrov’s words and is trying to understand what happened in yesterday’s incident involving an American drone and two Russian jets over the Black Sea.US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, at a press conference in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the United States to shed light on the case. launched an investigation. Reassurance came from State Department spokesman Ned Price, who said that the collision between the drone and two Russian fighters was “an unintentional act of Moscow forces”.
What happened between the US plane and the Russian fighter jet?
The news that the Russian Sukhoi Su-27 fighter jet and the US MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicle collided over the Black Sea was reported by the US European Command (Useucom). According to US Air Force General James Hecker, the Russian plane was one of two planes that carried out an “unsafe and unprofessional intercept” by colliding with the drone’s propeller, forcing US forces to shoot down the Reaper in international waters. The Russian fighter plane nearly crashed to the ground.
Before the Russian jet crashed into the US drone, “The Su-27s did not dump fuel into the drone and fly recklessly, disrespectfully, and unprofessionally in front of the MQ-9. Our MQ-9 aircraft was conducting routine operations in international airspace. “It was stopped and shot down by a Russian aircraft, causing the MQ-9 to crash and disappear completely,” the US commander said.
“This unsafe and unprofessional action by the Russians almost caused both planes to crash,” said General Hecker. The US command said the incident “followed a pattern of dangerous actions taken by Russian pilots in international airspace. These aggressive actions by Russian aircrew are dangerous and can lead to miscalculations and unwanted escalation.”
Why is it important to rescue a crashed drone?
The drone could not be saved, and the White House believes the plane could never be recovered. The United States and Russia aim to salvage the wreckage of the MQ-9 for different reasons. Washington does not want “anyone confiscated” the device. Moscow wants to take advantage of the opportunity to observe the technology of stars and lines up close, and perhaps analyze the data collected by the drone taking off from Romania.
Adding to the wreckage, obviously, any data recorded by the drone is coveted in Moscow. However, according to CNN’s report, the US took steps to limit the damage and essentially rendered the onboard software unusable. The indiscretion was later confirmed by US joint chief of staff Mark Milley. The American drone that crashed in the Black Sea at a depth of 1200-1500 meters was destroyed and will be difficult to recover, but the United States took certain precautions to ensure that it did not withhold any valuable information.
Russia accuses the United States of starting an active exploration campaign in the Black Sea region with various technologies in the visible and radio spectrum. Sergey Naryshkin, director of the Foreign Intelligence Services (SVR), emphasized in an interview: “We know in detail what targets the Americans are pursuing with their reconnaissance activities, and we are trying to identify places and regions that interest them more attention”.
Source: Today IT
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
