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Envoy Antonov expressed Russia’s concerns over US’ activities at Department of State

Previously, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that the Russian Aerospace Forces detected a US MQ-9 drone flying near the Crimean Peninsula

Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov AP Photo/Patrick Semansky

Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov

© AP Photo/Patrick Semansky

MOSCOW, March 15. /TASS/. Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov disclosed that he discussed Russia’s concerns regarding various aspects of Washington’s activities during the meeting in the US Department of State after the incident involving a US drone in the Black Sea.

"Yesterday, I was invited to the Department of State, where I had a 30-minute conversation with Assistant Secretary of State [for European and Eurasian Affairs] Karen Donfried. Notably, we talked for 15 minutes about this particular story, and 15 more minutes - about Russia’s concerns regarding various aspects of activities of the United States of America," he said on Russian TV Wednesday.

According to Antonov, the conversation was calm.

"It felt like my colleague simply read out a document that she had before her eyes," he noted.

The envoy underscored that he categorically rejected all accusations of the American side towards the Russian Armed Forces.

The drone situation

Previously, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that the Russian Aerospace Forces detected a US MQ-9 drone flying near the Crimean Peninsula. The drone was reportedly flying with its transponder turned off and "in violation of the boundaries of the temporary airspace use area, defined in order to carry out the special military operation, which has been conveyed to all airspace users and published in accordance to the international norms."

The Defense Ministry added that the drone’s abrupt maneuvering caused it to lose control, lose altitude and crash into the water. Russian jet fighters did not use its weapons and did not collide with the drone, and successfully returned to their bases, the Ministry said.

The US European Command claims that a Russian Su-27 fighter damaged the drone’s propeller, which caused it to crash into the Black Sea.

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