Washington: Ambassador Anatoly Antonov stated after being called to the State Department in Washington that Moscow views the American drone crash on Tuesday in the Black Sea as a provocation.

Karen Donfried, the Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, protested the "unsafe and unprofessional intercept" of the drone that led to its loss during their meeting with Antonov.

Following the meeting, Antonov told reporters, "We view this incident as a provocation. According to what he claimed he said to Donfried, US drones, planes, and ships had no business being that close to Russian borders.

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He questioned, "Could you imagine what the US media or the Pentagon would say if such a drone were to appear near New York or San Francisco.

The discussions were "constructive," according to Antonov, who added that both parties expressed their concerns. Given the circumstances in Eastern Europe at the moment, he continued, the US and Russia must exercise "extreme caution" in their actions. Donfried was also informed by him that Moscow seeks "pragmatic relations" rather than hostilities with the US.

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The MQ-9 Reaper crashed on Tuesday morning after two Russian Su-27 interceptors, according to the US military, flew dangerously close to it. The Su-27s spilled fuel on the drone and at one point damaged its propeller, which led to the crash. In international waters, the drone, according to them, was conducting a lawful surveillance mission.

The Russian Defense Ministry responded by claiming that the UAV stalled following extreme manoeuvres and that the interceptors "did not come in contact with the UAV."

The drone was of the kind that can carry numerous missiles and bombs, Antonov had noted. A "hunter-killer" version of the MQ-1 Predator was created as the MQ-9.

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While maintaining that it is not a party to the conflict, the US has been operating drones and surveillance aircraft close to the Russian border for more than a year, giving the Ukrainian government money, weapons, and ammunition in addition to intelligence and targeting information.

Neither government provided the precise location of the incident. According to Russian media, the Reaper's last known location was about 60 kilometres southwest of Sevastopol, a port in the Crimea.