The meeting at the State Department, initiated by the Biden administration, was described as constructive by the Russian Ambassador to Washington, Anatoly Antonov, according to TASS. The discussion occurred in the wake of the incident involving an American drone over the Black Sea and was organized in part through channels with Washington’s top diplomats.
The talks included Karen Donfried, the US assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs, who participated to discuss ongoing concerns and to clarify each side’s positions in the wake of the drone event. Antonov acknowledged that the two parties do not see eye to eye on every aspect of how the incident should be interpreted, yet he emphasized that the exchange of views remained far from hostile and that both sides were engaged in a serious dialogue.
When a reporter asked whether Donfried had warned about possible repercussions from the incident, Antonov responded with a light-hearted remark, stating that no threats had been issued. He noted that the conversation included divergent opinions but ultimately concluded that the meeting was constructive, leaving room for continued diplomatic engagement between Moscow and Washington.
Earlier, a Pentagon briefing described the downed MQ-9 unmanned aerial vehicle over the Black Sea as one that was on a reconnaissance mission. When pressed about any weapons on the drone, Pentagon officials declined to disclose specifics about the aircraft’s armament, noting that inquiries about the drone’s payload were not something they would detail publicly. The remark reflected a standard practice of withholding sensitive military specifics while addressing the broader nature of the drone activity.
The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that Russian fighters did not employ airborne weapons and did not engage the American MQ-9 in any physical contact during the incident. The ministry attributed the drone’s loss to aggressive maneuvers by the unmanned aircraft, which reportedly led to its crash into the Black Sea. This stance mirrors Moscow’s position that the encounter was a byproduct of the drone’s maneuvering rather than any direct action by Russian forces.