Despite the incident with the Su-27, the United States does not intend to stop flights of its military aircraft in the international airspace over the Black Sea. On Thursday, February 1, the head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the US Armed Forces, Lieutenant-General Kenneth Mackenzie, said at a briefing. According to him, US military aircraft flies in the international airspace, including, among other things, the territory over the Black Sea. "We have every right to be there. These flights will be continued, "- said Mackenzie.

In addition, he confirmed the position of the US State Department, calling the interception of an American aircraft by a Russian fighter "unsafe and unprofessional". The dangerous rapprochement between the Su-27 and the American reconnaissance aircraft took place on January 29 over the neutral waters of the Black Sea. The Russian Ministry of Defense said that the fighter flew towards an unidentified target moving toward the Russian border, and his actions did not allow the American intelligence officer to cross the state border. The American side reports that the Su-27 approached their aircraft by 1.5 meters.