White House: The incident with Russian planes buzzing a US Navy ship is 'beyond legal norms'
The White House has responded to the media reports regarding the incident between Russian military aircraft a U.S. Navy warship in the Baltic Sea, noting that such actions of the Russians are not in compliance with professional military standards. “The White House is aware of the incident you are talking about,” the White House Press Secretary, Josh Earnest, stated, responding to the journalist’s request to comment on the media reports.
“This incident is far from being in accordance with professional military standards,” Josh Earnest added. Earnest noted that any such maneuvers should be performed in accordance with international rules and regulations. The White House Press Secretary also recalled that this isn’t the first such incident. “We continue to express concern over Russia’s behavior,” he noted.
Earlier, a number of U.S. media outlets reported that Russian fighters flew in close proximity to the U.S. Navy warship USS Donald Cook in the Baltic Sea on Tuesday evening, citing an unnamed Pentagon representative. Polish helicopters were making preparations for a training flight on board this ship.