The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) has redeployed a high-altitude surveillance drone to the Black Sea region after recent peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia ended without a ceasefire agreement.
Newsweek contacted the DOD for comment via email on Sunday outside of usual working hours.
Why It Matters
This redeployment by the Pentagon appears to be the first instance since President Donald Trump resumed office; the last instance reported was in June 2024. It comes in the wake of the largest drone assault by Russia since the onset of its full-scale invasion in 2022.
On Saturday, following failed peace talks in Istanbul on Friday, Russia launched an assault of 273 drones across multiple Ukrainian regions, primarily targeting the central Kyiv region as well as the eastern regions of Dnipropetrovsk and Donetsk.
The attack caused civilian casualties and extensive destruction, according to Ukraine’s air force, as reported by Reuters.
Following the incident, an American RQ-4B Global Hawk strategic reconnaissance drone has returned to the Black Sea region for a new surveillance mission, the Moscow Times reported.
The peace talks in Istanbul on May 16 were the first direct negotiations between the two nations since 2022. Russia’s President Vladimir Putin rejected Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s proposal of an immediate 30-day ceasefire.
What To Know
“The RQ-4B Global Hawk is the world’s largest production unmanned aerial vehicle, manufactured by Northrop Grumman. Its wingspan is 39.8 meters [130.5 feet], and its flight autonomy reaches 32 hours,” The Moscow Times reported.
“It is equipped with high-tech surveillance equipment—including synthetic aperture radars, electro-optical and infrared sensors—and is capable of collecting real-time information on air defense activities, military aircraft and ship movements.”
According to aviation tracking service Flightradar24, the drone, using the call sign Forte10, departed from NATO’s Sigonella Naval Air Base in Sicily and conducted reconnaissance operations near Romania’s coastline.
This marks the drone’s first known appearance in the Black Sea area since June 2024, when it carried out similar surveillance missions near Crimea after launching from Catania Air Base in Sicily, reported The Moscow Times.
As reported by Newsweek, Russia’s Defense Ministry said on Friday that U.S. drones are appearing more frequently over the Black Sea, and accused Washington of using them to conduct reconnaissance and share intelligence with Kyiv to assist with the use of precision weapons supplied by the West.
The ministry stated that such actions elevate the risk of direct confrontation and indicated that measures are being considered to counter these operations.
What People Are Saying
The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement on Telegram: “The increased flights of U.S. drones over the Black Sea indicates the increasing involvement of the United States and NATO countries in the conflict in Ukraine on the side of Kyiv.
“Such flights greatly increase the likelihood of airspace incidents with aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces, which increases the risk of direct confrontation between the alliance and the Russian Federation.”
What Happens Next
Trump had previously warned that the U.S. could impose further sanctions on Russia if peace negotiations failed. As tensions in the Black Sea region intensify, the international community will be concerned about the potential for further escalation and the implications for regional stability.
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