Peskov refused to comment on the situation with the downed Chinese balloon over the United States

The issue of the Chinese balloon that was shot down over US territory concerns Sino-American bilateral relations, so the Kremlin did not comment on it. This was announced by the press secretary of the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov.

“The balloon, apparently, is Chinese. He flew in US airspace. This is a matter for bilateral Sino-US relations, so we will not comment on it,” he said.

The Chinese balloon was spotted in early February and reported to the Pentagon on February 3rd. At the same time, it was reported that they did not plan to shoot down the aircraft because of the potential harm that the wreckage could cause to people.

However, already on February 4, a Chinese balloon was shot down over the Atlantic Ocean, about 19 km from the coast of North Carolina. After that, the Chinese Foreign Ministry informedthat Washington’s decision to shoot down the balloon has damaged relations between the two countries. Beijing strongly protested and urged to avoid further actions that escalate tension and damage China’s interests.

Washington believes that the balloon was engaged in “observation of strategic objects.” His route lay near the positions of intercontinental ballistic missiles and the air base of strategic bombers. The Chinese side claims that the balloon was a meteorological probe.