The crews of the Russian Su-24 bombers which flew near a U.S. guided missile destroyer in the Baltic Sea on Tuesday, April 12 respected all safety rules, Interfax news agency quoted Russian Defence Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov as saying on Thursday.

The U.S. military said that the warplanes had simulated attack passes near the USS Donald Cook, with one official describing them as one of the most aggressive interactions in recent memory, Reuters reports.