Veteran US senator urges downing Russian warplanes

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham has suggested opening fire on Russian fighter jets that intercept US drones, after one such encounter ended with an MQ-9 Reaper plunging into the Black Sea on Tuesday.

“What would Ronald Reagan do right now? He would start shooting Russian planes down, if they were threatening our assets,” the veteran hawk told Fox News, while commenting on the incident.

The Pentagon has accused Russian military pilots of conducting unsafe air maneuvers near the drone, which it claimed was on a surveillance mission near Crimea. At one point a Su-27 allegedly hit the Reaper’s propeller, causing it to ditch in the sea.

The Russian Defense Ministry has denied reports of a collision, and claimed the drone stalled after executing a drastic maneuver. Moscow’s Ambassador to the US, Anatoly Antonov, suggested that American drones that can carry weapons have no business flying near Russian borders.

Graham attributed the encounter to purported weakness shown by President Joe Biden, who the senator described as “a deer in the headlights.” He concluded that the problem started with the pullout of troops in Afghanistan in 2021, will lead to new conflicts.