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Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley on Wednesday said U.S. officials don’t yet know if it was an intentional hit when a Russian fighter jet a day prior struck an American drone over the Black Sea, though he planned to talk with his Russian counterpart about it.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who spoke alongside Milley, said he had already spoken by phone with his Russian counterpart, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, over the incident that forced the MQ-9 Reaper to crash in the Black Sea.
The call marks the first time Austin spoke with Shoigu since October, and the first time Milley would speak to his counterpart since the same month.
“I just got off the phone with my Russian counterpart, Minister Shoigu,” Austin told reporters at the Pentagon. “As I’ve said repeatedly, it’s important that great powers be models of transparency and communication.”
He declined to offer details about the conversation, but said it’s important to keep lines of communication open to “help to prevent miscalculation going forward.
