Kremlin Said on Wednesday that its relations with the US were in a “sorrowful state” and at an all-time low after Washington accused Russia of shooting down one of its reconnaissance drones over the Black Sea.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there was no high-level contact with Washington over the incident and he had nothing to add to the statement issued by Russia’s Defense Ministry.
He said that bilateral relations were “at their lowest point, in a very pitiable state”, but “at the same time, Russia has never ruled out constructive dialogue, and is not refusing now”.
The US military said on Tuesday that a Russian fighter jet clipped the propeller of one of its spy drones as it was flying over the Black Sea in international airspace, causing it to crash into the water.
US Air Force General James Hecker called it an “unsafe and unprofessional act by the Russians”.
Russia denied killing the drone, suggesting it crashed due to a “swift maneuver”.
Sergei Naryshkin, head of Russia’s SVR foreign intelligence service, told Russian reporter Pavel Zarubin that the United States was “very active” in space, visual and radio reconnaissance in the area.
“We have detailed information and understanding of the intelligence objectives of the United States, using technical means, and we try to identify the objects that are of most interest to them,” he said in a video posted online. “
Anatoly Antonov, Russia’s ambassador to the United States, said the drone was “deliberately and provocatively moving towards Russian territory with the transponder turned off”.
“The unacceptable activity of the US military close to our borders is a cause for concern,” Antonov said. “They’re gathering intelligence, which is then used Kyiv regime to attack our armed forces and territory.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there was no high-level contact with Washington over the incident and he had nothing to add to the statement issued by Russia’s Defense Ministry.
He said that bilateral relations were “at their lowest point, in a very pitiable state”, but “at the same time, Russia has never ruled out constructive dialogue, and is not refusing now”.
The US military said on Tuesday that a Russian fighter jet clipped the propeller of one of its spy drones as it was flying over the Black Sea in international airspace, causing it to crash into the water.
US Air Force General James Hecker called it an “unsafe and unprofessional act by the Russians”.
Russia denied killing the drone, suggesting it crashed due to a “swift maneuver”.
Sergei Naryshkin, head of Russia’s SVR foreign intelligence service, told Russian reporter Pavel Zarubin that the United States was “very active” in space, visual and radio reconnaissance in the area.
“We have detailed information and understanding of the intelligence objectives of the United States, using technical means, and we try to identify the objects that are of most interest to them,” he said in a video posted online. “
Anatoly Antonov, Russia’s ambassador to the United States, said the drone was “deliberately and provocatively moving towards Russian territory with the transponder turned off”.
“The unacceptable activity of the US military close to our borders is a cause for concern,” Antonov said. “They’re gathering intelligence, which is then used Kyiv regime to attack our armed forces and territory.”
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