"We are engaging directly with the Russians, again at senior levels, to convey our strong objections to this unsafe, unprofessional intercept, which caused the downing of the unmanned US aircraft," spokesman Ned Price told reporters.

The Russian ambassador in Washington has been convened at the State Department Tuesday afternoon and the American ambassador in Moscow has registered a "strong objection," he said.

Price said this incident marked a clear violation of international law.

The crash came with tensions high over the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The US military said a Russian fighter jet dumped fuel on an American drone over the Black Sea then collided with it, causing the drone to crash. The White House called the crash a result of "reckless" behavior by Russia.