NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that Russia acted in an irresponsible, unprofessional and dangerous manner when a US drone struck a Russian fighter jet over the Black Sea.

To VG, Stoltenberg emphasized that it was important that situations like this not get out of hand:

“What Russia did was irresponsible, unprofessional and dangerous,” says Stoltenberg, on a day trip to Troll A in the North Sea on Friday.

NATO now uses significant military resources to police NATO’s external borders and so-called critical infrastructure, such as Norway’s gas production in the North Sea.

The incident of an American drone and a Russian fighter jet illustrates the seriousness of the war, according to Stoltenberg:

– We said that Russia should act professionally and responsibly in international airspace, where NATO and our partners have the full right to act. He says that three of the coastal countries bordering the Black Sea are NATO countries.

Earlier this week, a Russian fighter jet hit a propeller on a US military drone, according to the US military. The Americans believe this led the drone to the Black Sea.

Stoltenberg acknowledges that contact was made quickly between the US and Russian military authorities

– It was important to prevent the situation from getting out of control. He adds that I am sure that this particular situation will be brought under control.

The plane hit the propeller of a US military “Reaper” reconnaissance drone, US defense claims.

Two Russian Su-27s made an unsafe and unprofessional interception of an unmanned MQ-9 reconnaissance aircraft operating in international waters over the Black Sea, the US military wrote in a press release.