'Aggressive and erratic' Russian fighter jet barrel-rolls within 15m of US plane

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A Russian fighter jet “performed erratic and aggressive manoeuvres” as it flew just 15 metres from a US Air Force plane, it has emerged.

The incident took place over the Baltic Sea during a routine flight in international airspace on Thursday, the US European Command said.

The US plane was “intercepted by a Russian SU-27 in an unsafe and unprofessional manner,” Danny Hernandez, a spokesman for the Command, told CNN.

“The unsafe and unprofessional actions of a single pilot have the potential to unnecessarily escalate tensions between countries,” he said.

The incident comes days after Russian jets passed close to US destroyer Donald Cook, which was also in the Baltic Sea. Russian Su-24 military planes made several close-range passes, at one point coming within nine metres of the vessel.

The US Secretary of State, John Kerry, criticised the actions, saying: “We condemn this kind of behaviour. It is reckless. It is provocative. It is dangerous. And under the rules of engagement that could have been a shoot-down.

“People need to understand that this is serious business and the United States is not going to be intimidated."

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the US had “raised our concerns with the Russians”. “I can tell you that that communication has occurred, and we'll seek to resolve our differences through well-established military channels.”

Russia's defence military spokesman Igor Konashenkov said the US had overreacted: “All flights of aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces are performed strictly in accordance with the international regulations on the use of airspace over neutral waters."

The defence ministry “does not understand the reason for such a painful reaction of our American colleagues", he added.

“The principle of freedom of navigation for the US destroyer, which is staying in close proximity to a Russian naval base in the Baltic Sea, does not cancel the principle of freedom of flight for Russian aircraft,” the official said.