The chiefs of defense for the United States and Russia, Lloyd Austin and Sergei Shoigu, spoke by phone for the first time since October in what could be an effort by Washington to remedy the incident related to the crash. – shot down by a Russian fighter, according to the US – in the waters of the Black Sea. Ukraine, on the other hand, believes what happened is a message from Vladimir Putin that he is ready to “expand the conflict”.
“I will not speak for Secretary Shoigu or go into the details of our discussion. I will only reiterate that the United States will fly and act where international law allows. We take any potential for escalation very seriously, so I think it is important is to keep the lines of communication open. I think this will help prevent miscalculations from continuing,” said Austin, who chaired the 10th Ramstein-style meeting, which brought together defense ministers from 30 NATO allies and 14 other countries to increase military aid. to Ukraine.
US Chief of Staff General Mark Milley said he also looked forward to speaking with his Russian counterpart, Valery Gerasimov. Questioned by journalists, Milley declined to comment on whether the collision was an “act of war” by Moscow. “We are not seeking conflict with Russia.” In a similar vein, State Department spokesman Ned Price said the incident was “probably accidental.”
The Minister of Defense and National Security of Ukraine, Oleksiy Danilov, has a different opinion. The incident, “provoked by Russia in the Black Sea, represents a message from Putin about a willingness to expand the conflict zone with the involvement of other parties.”
Russia’s defense ministry said in a statement that Moscow “is not interested” in an escalation but that it will “continue to respond proportionately to any provocation”. The Russians have declared “air restrictions” in the Black Sea region since the launch of the “special military operation”, which has not been recognized internationally. “The US strategic drone flights off the coast of Crimea are provocative in nature,” the statement said, adding that the cause of the incident was “non-compliance with air restrictions.”
The day before, Moscow rejected the North American version that one of the two Su-27s would have dropped fuel on the Reaper and then hit the propeller. “The device went out of control due to sudden maneuvers and then crashed,” said the Russian defense ministry.
While Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov lamented the “deplorable state of bilateral relations” between Russia and the US and was open to “constructive dialogue”, National Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev said that the presence of the plane no MQ-9 Reaper aircraft in the region is “evidence” that the US “participates directly” in the war.
Patrushev announced that the Russian army will try to save the drone. Not to return the plane to the Americans, but to explore the “technical possibilities”, as the director of the external intelligence services Sergei Naryshkin put it. General Milley said the US knows where the Reaper crashed – 56 nautical miles southwest of the southern tip of Crimea, according to a defense official interviewed by the Washington message – and that nothing of importance was available to anyone who picked up the wreck.
The Black Sea is the scene of friction between Russia and Western countries: last year, the British complained that a Russian fighter jet had fired a missile next to their spy plane. According to London, Moscow then claimed a technical malfunction. The year before, a British destroyer had received a warning shot as it sailed off the coast of Crimea. And in August 2020, a US Air Force B52 was also intercepted in the same zone by two Russian Su-27s, which passed the bomber very closely.
And yet
Sanctions make a dent
International sanctions against Russia are starting to have an effect on the economy. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), Russian oil revenues in February were 42% lower than in the same period last year, despite Moscow having sold a similar volume. This represents a drop of $8.4 billion in one month. On the eve, Vladimir Putin acknowledged the impact on the economy: “We must admit that those who wish us harm are counting on us to get into trouble in the medium term. Such a danger really exists, we understand that.”
IMF praises Kiev’s progress
The International Monetary Fund reported that after meetings with Ukrainian officials between the 8th and 15th in Warsaw, Kyiv has made “very good progress” on a range of policies that could open the door to a new lending program. Ukraine seeks $20 billion funding. The country’s IMF representative, Vahram Stepanyan, said talks should be concluded “in the coming days”.
Turkey pushes for grain deal
After Russia proposed on Monday to accept an extension of the Black Sea grain initiative with Turkey and the United Nations for 60 days – half the time under discussion – Ukraine rejected the proposal. However, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said talks would continue, and “in line with the original version of the agreement”, which was a 120-day extension. The current deal is valid until Saturday.
New Delhi against “paralysis”
Indian diplomat Amitabh Kant, negotiator of the G20 – New Delhi chairs the group – lamented that “a single war” can “paralyze the whole world”, after calling for urgent action.
Kiev invites DeSantis
Ukrainian diplomacy invited Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to visit the country. The Republican presidential candidate called the Russian invasion a “territorial dispute” and said US aid to Ukraine was not in the country’s “vital interest”.
Source: DN
