Russia's war on Ukraine latest: US drone crash prompts calls between Moscow, Washington

Washington's top general said the crash of a U.S. surveillance drone after being intercepted by Russian jets showed Moscow's increasingly aggressive behaviour while Russia warned Washington that flying drones near Crimea risked escalation. QUOTES * "Since the beginning of February, they (the Russians) have conducted something like 40 to 50 attempted assaults," 45-year-old Ukrainian commander Andrii "Tuman" told Reuters in a village near Kreminna, Luhansk.

Washington's top general said the crash of a U.S. surveillance drone after being intercepted by Russian jets showed Moscow's increasingly aggressive behaviour while Russia warned Washington that flying drones near Crimea risked escalation. U.S. DRONE INCIDENT

* The Russian and U.S. defence ministers and military chiefs held rare phone conversations on Wednesday, a day after a U.S. military drone crashed over the Black Sea. * Russia said that operating U.S. drone flights near Crimea was provocative and could lead to an escalation. The top U.S. general said there was a pattern of increasing Russian aggression.

* The U.S. surveillance drone probably broke apart and would be difficult to recover given the depth of the water in the area, the top U.S. general said. * Russia's ambassador to the United States said he had told Washington that Russia would "no longer allow anybody to violate our waters".

* Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the United States was "ignoring" the fact that Russia had established air space restrictions in the area. * The U.S. military surveillance drone's crash into the Black Sea is being investigated, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, declining to speak on the intent or the motivation behind the incident.

* The MQ-9 "Reaper" unmanned aerial vehicle can loiter at up to 50,000 feet for more than 27 hours, gathering intelligence with sophisticated cameras, sensors and radars. ECONOMY, DIPLOMACY

* Turkey's parliament is "highly likely" to ratify Finland's NATO accession bid before mid-April, two Turkish officials told Reuters. Sweden and Finland applied last year to join the defence pact after Russia invaded Ukraine but faced objections from Turkey. * Turkey will continue discussions to extend a deal that allows grain shipments from Ukraine's Black Sea ports for 120 rather than 60 days, Turkey said. Berlin said it should continue indefinitely.

* Ukraine's grain exports for the 2022/23 season stood at 34.7 million tonnes as of March 15, hit by a smaller harvest and logistical difficulties caused by Russia's invasion. FIGHTING, POLITICS

* Ukraine's top military command favours defending eastern Ukraine including the besieged city of Bakhmut and inflicting maximum losses on the enemy, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said. QUOTES

* "Since the beginning of February, they (the Russians) have conducted something like 40 to 50 attempted assaults," 45-year-old Ukrainian commander Andrii "Tuman" told Reuters in a village near Kreminna, Luhansk. (Compiled by Reuters editors)

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