Russian Ambassador after drone incident: US aircraft have no business being near Russian border

CNN reports.

In a conversation with journalists after being called to the US State Department over the drone situation, Antonov asked journalists what America's reaction would be if such a drone "suddenly appeared close to New York or San Francisco."

"Can you imagine the reaction of the US press, the Pentagon, to this drone? What kind of drone was it? Think about this before summoning me to the State Department. It's a multipurpose [drone], with strike capabilities of up to a 1700 kg explosive payload," he said.

Any country's defense ministry could respond in this way "to the threat of such a danger along its borders," the Russian ambassador said.

Antonov emphasized that "in our opinion, American aircraft have no business flying near the Russian border." The Russian diplomat also expressed the opinion that the actions of the Russian pilots were professional, and "no contact was made, nor were any weapons used by our fighter jets."  

"I think it's better that we discuss at the State Department avenues of cooperation and mutual action, but unfortunately, my communication with the State Department lately has just been to address their protests about the actions of the Russian Federation. The Russian Federation is not interested in confrontation. The Russian side is interested in pragmatic relations with the USA in the interests of both the Russian and American people," the Russian ambassador added.

• On March 14, a Russian Su-27 fighter jet collided with a US MQ-9 Reaper drone in international airspace over the Black Sea. The drone was shot down as a result of the incident. After the incident, the United States began negotiations with Russia at the "highest level" and summoned the Russian ambassador to Washington.

• Later, the Pentagon stated that the Russian fighter jet was damaged and the drone did not fall into Russian hands. The Russian Defense Ministry, on the other hand, claims that it did not shoot at the drone and that it was moving in the direction of Crimea.