Putin Says U.S. Support of Ukraine Drone Use Risks Escalation

Vladimir Putin

Photographer: Alexey Nikolsky/AFP/Getty images

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Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the U.S. of supporting drone use in the Ukraine conflict zone and said its naval drills with NATO in the Black Sea risk further escalating tensions in the region.

Ukraine recently used a Turkish-made drone for the first time in the seven-year-long conflict with Russian-backed separatists in retaliation for a deadly strike. The war, which erupted after Russia annexed Crimea and supported unrest in eastern Ukraine, has killed more than 13,000 people.