On Tuesday, a U.S. drone descended into the Black Sea after an incident involving a Russian fighter jet near the Russian-occupied Crimean peninsula.
The drone had to be sunk after it was hit by the Russian plane, according to the US defense headquarters Pentagon, which calls Russia's actions reckless and unprofessional.
After the incident, Russian Ambassador Anatoly Antonov was summoned for a meeting with the US State Department. In a statement on Wednesday morning, he said the incident was instead America's fault.
"We see it as a provocation. The drone was intentionally flown toward Russian territory with transponders turned off, he said.
According to AFP, Antonov is urging the US to cease "hostile" overflights near the Russian border. He maintains that no Russian planes attacked the drone and that Moscow wants "pragmatic" ties with Washington, with no "confrontations" between the countries.
USA: The Black Sea belongs to no country
The incident has led to several reactions from the American side. Among other things, the U.S. State Department spokesman, Ned Price, has called it a "brazen violation of international law" and John Kirby, spokesman for the U.S. National Security Council, says this will not stop the U.S. from continuing with its missions in the area.
"If the message is to discourage us from flying or operating in international airspace, then that message has failed. We will continue to fly and operate in international airspace and over international waters. The Black Sea belongs to no single country," Kirby said, according to the AP.
According to Kirby, the U.S. has now, without going into more details, taken steps to ensure that the drone doesn't fall into the wrong hands.
"It's American property and we obviously don't want anyone else to get hold of it," Kirby says, according to CNN.
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An American surveillance drone MQ-9 Reaper of the same type that crashed over the Black Sea. According to the United States, it was damaged in the air by a Russian fighter jet, according to Russia crashed after too advanced flight. Photo: William Rosado, AFP/TT