US to summon Russian ambassador over drone crash above Black Sea

By Rabia Iclal Turan

WASHINGTON (AA) - The US said Tuesday it will summon the Russian ambassador in Washington to the State Department after a Russian fighter jet crashed into a US drone in international airspace above the Black Sea.

State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters that the US is “engaging directly” with the Russians at senior levels, to convey “our strong objections to this unsafe, unprofessional intercept.”

"We are summoning the Russian ambassador to the department where we will convey this message,” he said, adding, the process of summoning is ongoing and is expected to take place later Tuesday.

A Russian SU-27 fighter jet crashed into a US Reaper drone in international airspace above the Black Sea, causing the American aircraft to crash, according to the Pentagon.

The incident occurred after the Russian jet and another SU-27 "conducted an unsafe and unprofessional intercept" of the Reaper, including dumping fuel on the drone and flying in front of it "in a reckless, environmentally unsound and unprofessional manner,” it said.