Drones and Defense Secretaries: Russia and US talk

One meaningless sentence from the US and three highly significant sentences from the Russians.  Of course, they talked about the Ukraine.  Perhaps they talked about a drone.

• US Release:  Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin held talks with Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov, Pentagon press secretary Patrick Ryder reports.

“During the call, Secretary Austin spoke about the importance of maintaining lines of communication amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine ,” he said during the briefing.

• Russian Release:   On 25 June 2024, at the initiative of the American side Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov and U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin had a phone conversation

The defence ministers shared their views on the situation in Ukraine.

Andrei Belousov pointed out the danger of further escalation due to continued supply of U.S. weapons to the AFU.

Other issues were also discussed.

Three drone incidents are being discussed in the public sphere currently:

Previous telephone conversations took place on March 15, 2023, also at the initiative of the American side. Then the main topic of negotiations was the incident with the MQ-9 Reaper reconnaissance and strike UAV, which was damaged by the impact of a Su-27 fighter of the Russian Aerospace Forces and, as a result, was sunk in the Black Sea

Major General Yuri Popov, deputy head of the TsPVS, reported today about another incident with the Reaper, but this time in Syria

Before this, rumors appeared about a close flight of a Russian MiG-31 near the American RQ-4 Global Hawk in the Black Sea, which allegedly affected the drone’s equipment.

Seen from this perspective, my jury is still out as to the third drone incident which is the one causing controversy currently.   I just don’t know because I see it reported and talked about from different discussion spheres.

Maria Zakharova

“What is this: arrogance, stupidity, or both, united by the concept of “liberal democracy”.

The measures were retaliatory. They were introduced in connection with the ban on Russian media in the EU. But the State Department blames Russia for everything once again”