US Accuses China of Attempting to Surveil Sensitive Military Sites via Balloon Shot Down Off South Carolina Coast

The United States has accused China of attempting to surveil sensitive military sites via a balloon that was shot down off the coast of South Carolina earlier this month. Secretary of State Antony Blinken made the accusation on ABC’s “This Week” in an interview taped Saturday.

“I can’t say dispositively what the original intent was, but that doesn’t matter because what we saw when it was over the United States was clearly an attempt to surveil very sensitive military sites,” Blinken said. He added that the US had taken measures to protect the information and that they would know more when they get the remains of the balloon.

The US has also been accused of being the “primary source” of international tensions for supporting Ukrainian attacks on Crimea. Kremlin spokesman Dimtry Peskov said Sunday that the collective West had shown no readiness or openness to peaceful initiatives. He was responding to comments from Victoria Nuland, the under secretary of state for political affairs, who said Thursday that the United States believes Crimea should be demilitarized “at a minimum”.

The US and Russia have been at odds over the situation in Ukraine since 2014 when Russia annexed Crimea. The US has been vocal in its support of Ukraine, while Russia has accused the US of interfering in its affairs. It remains to be seen how the two countries will move forward in the coming weeks.