UK calls on Russia to respect international airspace

Britain's Defence Minister Ben Wallace called on Moscow to respect international airspace.

The move comes after a Russian fighter jet collided with a US MQ-9 Reaper drone in international airspace over the Black Sea, causing the latter to crash, according to Sky News.

"The key point here is that all parties respect international airspace and we encourage the Russians to do so," Sky News quotes Wallace as saying at Japan's DSEI defence exhibition in Tokyo.

"The Americans said they considered it unprofessional," he added.

The incident was the first such direct clash between the two states since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, and risks deepening tensions between Moscow and the West.