France says drone incident near aircraft carrier would be 'provocation' if Russian link confirmed
France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Friday Paris had no evidence that Russia was behind an unidentified drone neutralised near the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier docked in Sweden but if that were to be the case it would be a "ridiculous provocation".
The Swedish military on Wednesday took down a drone of unknown origin detected more than 10 km from the carrier, the French army told Reuters. The carrier group is currently on a mission in the region and docked this week in the city of Malmo.
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Sweden's Defence Minister Pal Jonson said on Thursday Swedish airspace had probably been violated by a drone "in connection with a Russian military ship" in Swedish territorial waters.
"If indeed, as the (Swedish) defence minister suggested, there is a potential Russian origin for this incident, the only conclusion I would draw is that this is a ridiculous provocation," Barrot told reporters in Malmo on Friday.
The security of the French battleship was not threatened, he added.
A Swedish Navy ship observed the suspicious drone during an ongoing maritime patrol on Thursday, Sweden's armed forces said.
Sweden initiated countermeasures to disrupt the drone, which was not recovered, and no further observations have since been made.
The incident is the latest in a flurry of drone activities in several European NATO countries that have been linked to Moscow.
