A U.S. Air Force drone crashed over the Black Sea on Tuesday after being intercepted by two Russian SU-27 fighters. In an interview with USA Today, CERL Advisory Council member Mary Ellen O’Connell cautions against direct confrontation with Russia over the crash, explaining that Russia’s actions were within the laws of armed conflict, even if conducted in what top White House national security spokesman John Kirby deemed a “reckless” manner.

Mary Ellen O’Connell is the Robert and Marion Short Professor of Law and Research Professor of International Dispute Resolution—Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, University of Notre Dame. Her work is in the areas of international law on the use of force, international dispute resolution, and international legal theory. Read her full bio here.