‘US could’ve shot down Russian jet’

A Russian military jet that flew just feet from a US destroyer in international waters in the Baltic Sea could have been shot down under US rules of engagement, US secretary of state John Kerry said.

Russian aircraft repeatedly buzzed the USS Donald Cook this week, including an incident on Tuesday when a Russian Su-24 jet flew nine metres above the ship in a “simulated attack profile,” the US military’s European Command said.

Russia has denied the action was reckless or provocative. Mr Kerry, speaking Thursday, strongly disagreed. “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,” Mr Kerry told CNN Espanol in Miami.

He added: “People need to understand that this is serious business and the United States is not going to be intimidated on the high seas.”

“We are communicating to the Russians how dangerous this is and our hope is that this will never be repeated,” Mr Kerry said.

The Russian manoeuvres began on Monday while the destroyer was located about 70 nautical miles from the Russian base in Kaliningrad, a Russian exclave on the Baltic Sea.

The flights by the Sukhoi SU-24 bombers on Wednesday, which flew near the Cook, were so close they created wake in the water, a US official said on Wednesday.

It was one of the most aggressive interactions between the two former Cold War foes in recent memory, the official said, although the planes carried no visible weaponry.

A Russian KA-27 Helix helicopter also made passes around the vessel, taking pictures.

In Moscow, Interfax news agency quoted Russian defence ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov as saying on Thursday that the crew of the Russian bombers that flew near the US destroyer respected all safety rules.

State department spokes-man John Kirby said thet Mr Kerry will raise the incident with Russian forei-gn minister Sergei Lavrov.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters at a daily press briefing that Washington had raised its concerns with Russian officials.

“I can tell you that communication has occurred, and we’ll seek to resolve our differences through well-established military channels,” he said.