Russian Ambassador to the U.S. Summoned to State Department in Washington

The Russian ambassador to the U.S., Anatoly Antonov, has been summoned to the State Department in Washington in relation to the incident involving the downed American Reaper MQ-9 drone over the Black Sea.

"We have summoned the Russian ambassador. I think this high-level meeting will take place today at noon," State Department spokesman Ned Price said during a press briefing.

According to the U.S. Department of State representative, the ambassador will be informed of the "sharp dissatisfaction due to unprofessional maneuvering." The U.S. European Command reported an incident involving the American-made MQ-9 Reaper drone in the skies over the Black Sea. It is alleged that two Russian Su-27 fighter jets purportedly intercepted the drone, and prior to the collision, the aircraft's crew "released fuel in the direction of the MQ-9, crossing the UAV's path recklessly, in an environmentally harmful and unprofessional manner."

In turn, the Russian defense ministry announced that the American drone had violated the regime by utilizing airspace near Crimea. At the same time, the Russian fighter jets did not use weapons against the drone and did not engage with it, the ministry emphasized.