USA: Following a Tuesday incident in which a MQ-9 Reaper crashed into the Black Sea during a Russian fighter jet encounter with a US drone, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham has proposed opening fire on Russian fighter jets that intercept US drones.

What would Ronald Reagan do in this situation? If Russian aircraft threatened our assets, he would begin shooting them down, the seasoned hawk said in a statement to Fox News.

The drone, which the Pentagon claimed was on a surveillance mission close to Crimea, was subjected to unsafe air manoeuvres, according to the Pentagon, which has accused Russian military pilots. A Su-27 is said to have struck the Reaper's propeller at one point, causing it to crash into the water.

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Reports of a collision have been refuted by the Russian Defense Ministry, which asserts that the drone stalled following a dramatic manoeuvre. Russian borders should not be crossed by American drones carrying weapons, according to Anatoly Antonov, the ambassador of Moscow to the US.

Graham blamed President Joe Biden, whom the senator compared to a "deer in the headlights," for allegedly displaying weakness during the encounter. He came to the conclusion that the issue, which began with the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan in 2021, would result in fresh conflicts.

"Taiwan is doomed if Putin gets away with this. The two are related, according to Graham, who was referring to the self-administrated Chinese territory that President Biden has promised to militarily defend in the event that China attempts to send troops there.

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Beijing has stated that its goal is the peaceful reunification of Taiwan, but should the island's government attempt to formally declare independence, military force may be used. The Chinese government claims that some people in Washington are pushing for this result.

Sean Hannity, a fellow foreign policy hawk and host of Fox News, has suggested that in retaliation for Russia's use of drones over Ukraine, two should be shot down along with a threat to destroy ten more "the next time."

In response, Graham praised Donald Trump's strategy, including his directive to kill Iranian General Qasem Soleimani for allegedly "killing Americans all over the Middle East."

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Soleimani was a prominent member of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and his actions against the terrorist organisation Islamic State earned him praise from the country's people (IS, formerly ISIS). He was killed in January 2020 while visiting Iraq; in retaliation, Tehran launched missiles at US military installations there.