Kremlin on US Drone Incident: Bilateral Relations at Low Point, in Very Deplorable State

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 15th March, 2023) The relations between Russia and the United States are at a very low point and in a deplorable state, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, the Russian Defense Ministry said the US MQ-9 drone fell in the Black Sea as a result of engaging in sharp maneuvering and the Russian fighter jets sent to intercept it did not come into contact with it nor used weapons against it. The ministry said the air control of the Russian Aerospace Forces recorded the flight of the drone in the region of the Crimean peninsula in the direction of the Russian border.

The US European Command (EUCOM) issued a release saying the incident that resulted in the complete loss of the drone involved a Russian Su-27 aircraft, which allegedly struck the drone's propeller during an "unsafe and unprofessional intercept" over the Black Sea.

"We have nothing to add to the statement of the Defense Ministry, it was quite exhaustive, it describes the circumstances of what happened. As for bilateral relations, we know that they are probably at their lowest point, in a very deplorable state," Peskov said.