Kremlin declines to comment on report that U.S. and Russian aircraft had a close encounter over Syria
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on statements made by Pentagon officials that Russian and U.S. planes had a close encounter over Syria on October 17th, RIA Novosti reported.
When asked to comment on the incident, Peskov said, “It is for my colleagues at the Ministry of Defense."
Earlier on Friday, Lieutenant General Jeff Harrigian, the commander of U.S. Air Force Central Command, described an incident in which a U.S. reconnaissance aircraft and a Russian fighter flew within half a mile of each other.
Harrigian said it was “a near miss”, and the Russian pilot likely did not see the U.S. aircraft, as the incident occurred around midnight.
"We called the Russians about it and made sure they knew we were concerned," Harrigian said.
A senior U.S. military official said the planes were so close they could feel each other’s jet wash.