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France warns of 'provocation' if Russian drone buzzed aircraft carrier / Photo: © TT NEWS AGENCY/AFP
France warns of 'provocation' if Russian drone buzzed aircraft carrier
France's foreign minister said Friday that if a drone seen this week near a French aircraft carrier visiting Sweden turned out to be Russian -- a claim Moscow called "absurd" -- it would be a "ridiculous provocation".
Sweden said one of its navy vessels spotted and jammed the drone 13 kilometres (eight miles) from France's Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier.
On Thursday, Sweden's Defence Minister Pal Jonson told the broadcaster SVT that the drone "probably" was of Russian origin, noting that "there was a Russian military vessel in the immediate vicinity at the time".
"If indeed... there is a potential Russian origin for this incident, the only conclusion I would draw is that it would be a ridiculous provocation," French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told journalists aboard the aircraft carrier.
Barrot stressed that the drone could never have posed any real threat to the vessel.
"The drone was neutralised away from the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier and in no way was the security of the aircraft carrier and its group threatened by this".
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson on Friday reiterated that they believed the drone to be Russian.
"It is likely a Russian drone. We are now investigating it in more detail, but there is a lot to suggest that this is the case," Kristersson told reporters during a visit to the aircraft carrier.
He added that he did not believe it was a coincidence that the incident occurred while the aircraft carrier was visiting.
"It is a Russian way of acting that we recognise from other places," he said.
When asked about the allegation, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists including AFP it was "quite an absurd statement".
According to the Swedish authorities, its navy jammed the drone using electronic signals to attempt to break the connection between the aircraft and its operator, or disrupt its navigation tools.
The Swedish Armed Forces said Thursday that "no further drone sightings” had been made and that they were investigating the incident.
The French Navy's flagship and its escort, made a port call on Wednesday for the first time in the Swedish port of Malmo, before joining NATO exercises.
The nearby Baltic Sea is a theatre of rivalry between Russia and the NATO alliance countries.
NATO's easternmost countries have reported numerous drone sightings in recent months, with some pointing the finger at Russia.
O. Larsen--BTZ
