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U.S. NEWS Thursday 16 March 2023

U.S., Russian military chiefs resume contact to discuss drone

By LOLITA C. BALDOR and behavior was intention-
TARA COPP al,” Milley said. However,
Associated Press whether the collision itself
WASHINGTON (AP) — De- was intentional was still un-
fense Secretary Lloyd Austin clear, he told reporters at
said he spoke to his Russian the briefing.
counterpart on Wednes- Milley said the drone likely
day about the destruc- sank in waters that were
tion of a U.S. drone over 4,000 to 5,000 feet (1,200 to
the Black Sea, which had 1,500 meters) deep.
brought the two countries If the call between Austin
closest to direct conflict and Shoigu was de-esca-
since Moscow’s invasion of latory in private, it was not
Ukraine a year ago. It was apparent from Russia’s
the first call between Austin public statements.
and Defense Secretary Ser- Russian Foreign Minister
gei Shoigu since October. Sergey Lavrov told report-
“I just got off the phone with ers earlier Wednesday
my Russian counterpart, that Russia has declared
Minister Shoigu,” Austin said certain areas of the Black
at a Pentagon press brief- Sea off-limits to any aerial
ing. “As I’ve said repeated- traffic during the conflict
ly, it’s important that great and suggested the U.S. was
powers be models of trans- Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, right, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley, and trying to provoke an esca-
parency and communica- Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, Celeste Wallander, attend a virtual lation through the flights.
meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, Wednesday, March 15, 2023, at the Pentagon in
tion, and the United States Washington. The drone crashed near
will continue to fly and to Associated Press Ukraine’s Crimean Penin-
operate wherever interna- sula, which Russia seized in
tional law allows.” Tuesday’s crash. of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, sian President Vladimir Pu- 2014 and illegally annexed.
The U.S. military said it That Austin and Shoigu were said he also planned to talk tin’s dissatisfaction with the “Any incidents that could
ditched the Air Force MQ-9 talking underscored the se- to his Russian counterpart, state of the war, which has provoke confrontation be-
Reaper in the sea after a riousness of the encounter Gen. Valery Gerasimov, been stalemated. tween the two great pow-
Russian fighter jet struck its over the Black Sea. Since the chief of the General There were still questions as ers, the two largest nuclear
propeller while it was flying Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Staff of the Russian armed to whether Russia meant powers, raise very serious
in international airspace. contact between U.S. and forces. to down the drone, even risks,” Lavrov said.
Russia has denied that it Russian military leaders has Gerasimov was named the though the moments that Austin and Shoigu first spoke
caused the incident. The been limited, with Russian new commander of the led up to its crash were “in- about Russia’s invasion of
U.S. has said it was work- officials refusing to take U.S. Russian forces in Ukraine tentional,” Milley said. Ukraine in May 2022. At the
ing on declassifying surveil- military calls in the early in January and its previous “We know that the inter- time it was the highest level
lance footage from the months of the war. Army commander demoted in cept was intentional. We U.S.-Russian contact of the
drone that would show Gen. Mark Milley, chairman an apparent sign of Rus- know that the aggressive war.q

Stormy Daniels meets with prosecutors investigating Trump

By JENNIFER PELTZ and to her attorney for “helping office. the 2016 presidential cam- they amounted to imper-
DEEPTI HAJELA me in our continuing fight “I feel great,” Cohen told paign, Cohen said he missible gifts to Trump’s
Associated Press for truth and justice.” reporters as headed into made a $130,000 payment election effort. Trump also
NEW YORK (AP) — Stormy A message seeking com- what he expected to be his on Trump’s behalf to Dan- denied having an affair
Daniels’ lawyer said the ment was sent to the Man- final day of testimony. iels, who at the time had with McDougal.
porn actor met with pros- hattan district attorney’s In the waning weeks of been in negotiations to tell Cohen pleaded guilty.
ecutors Wednesday as her story on television. Trump was never charged
former President Donald Daniels has said she had a by federal prosecutors,
Trump’s ex-lawyer testified 2006 sexual encounter with however. Manhattan pros-
before a grand jury investi- Trump that she didn’t want, ecutors have been examin-
gating hush money paid to but didn’t say no to. Trump ing whether any state laws
Daniels on Trump’s behalf. says it never happened. were broken in connection
Daniels’ attorney, Clark The former president’s law- with the payments or the
Brewster, tweeted that yer said Trump was invited way Cohen was paid by
Daniels met with and an- to testify before the grand the Trump Organization for
swered questions from jury but has no plans to do his work to cover up the al-
Manhattan prosecutors so. Federal prosecutors in leged affairs.
and was willing to be a wit- 2018 charged Cohen with Cohen and federal pros-
ness. The news came as campaign finance crimes ecutors said the company
Trump’s former attorney, related to the payment, paid him $420,000 to reim-
Michael Cohen, was giving and a similar $150,000 pay- burse him for the payment
his second day of testimo- out he helped arrange to to Daniels and to cover bo-
ny before the grand jury. Adult film actress Stormy Daniels arrives for the opening of the the Playboy model Karen nuses and other supposed
Daniels tweeted her thanks adult entertainment fair Venus in Berlin, on Oct. 11, 2018. McDougal, arguing that expenses. q
Associated Press