Biden Addresses Aerial Objects: 'No Apologies' For Taking Down Balloon, Will Talk To Xi, 'Not Looking For A New Cold War'

President Joe Biden said the U.S. and Canada acted together to take down at least three unidentified aerial objects in recent days.

It is not yet known in which country the objects originated.

The current assessment is that these objects were not being used for "nefarious" purposes, and likely came from private companies or institutions, Biden explained. See the speech below.

It has not been confirmed whether the objects were "surveillance vehicles" from any other country, including China, Biden said, adding, "If any object presents a threat to the safety and security of the American people, I will take it down."

Biden also noted that he remains in communication with Chinese President Xi Jinping and that he hopes "we can get to the bottom of this ... and makes no apologies for taking down that balloon.

"We're not looking for a new Cold War," he added.

See Also: China Or Aliens? US Military Scrutinizes The Skies For Unidentified Objects, Investigates Origins

Biden's speech comes as tensions rise due to the dubious nature of multiple unmanned flying objects being spotted in North American airspace — at least four over the course of three days — including one that was shot down by the U.S. military off South Carolina’s coast on Feb. 4.

Biden faces pressure from both Democrats and Republicans to address the issue, which observers claim is an indicator of sour relations between the U.S. and China.

Recently, the U.S. military's Northern Command confirmed that key sensors on the aerial objects can be used for intelligence gathering. 

“Crews have been able to recover significant debris from the site, including all of the priority sensor and electronics pieces identified as well as large sections of the structure,” the military said in a statement.

Earlier this month, U.S. military fighter jets, on Biden's order, shot down what was believed to be a so-called "spy balloon" from China. China denied that it was a government spy vessel.

Chinese foreign ministry also slammed U.S. politicians and the media for exploiting the situation to discredit Beijing.

Biden previously noted that the balloon was a violation of international law, but that they did not present a military threat to anyone on the ground.

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Photo by Michael Schofield on Unsplash.