GETTY A NATO official said the actions by Russian pilots would be among the concerns raised

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Tensions between the West and Moscow have sunk to a low point following months of posturing between the two international players. And fuming NATO officials are preparing to vent their frustration in a meeting of the NATO-Russia council in Brussels, a forum set up to maintain dialogue between the two parties even when relations sour. The alliance berates the “unsafe behaviour by Russian pilots on intercepts”, including aggressive and dangerous manoeuvres. There have been several over the past few months, including one which was captured on camera with dramatic photos released by the Pentagon.

11 things you need to know about NATO Tue, February 14, 2017 NATO - The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is an intergovernmental military alliance based on the North Atlantic Treaty which was signed on 4th April 1949. The organization constitutes a system of collective defence whereby its member states agree to mutual defence in response to an attack by any external party. Play slideshow Getty Images 1 of 11 Every member country, no matter how large or small, has an equal say in discussions and decisions. Photo shows: Signing the North Atlantic Treaty which marked the beginning of NATO, 1949.

Last month a Russian Su-27 fighter jet came within several feet of a U.S. RC-135 reconnaissance plane over the Baltic Sea. NATO’s most senior uniformed officer, General Petr Pavel, the chairman of the NATO military committee, criticised the actions of the pilots, saying: “There is always risk that something will go wrong when two forces that are not friendly are too close to each other and we are close to each other not only in the Baltic Sea airspace but in the Black Sea airspace, all around the border in Syria. “In most of these cases, we haven’t been observing the situation that would be clearly hostile against NATO.

GETTY Last month a Russian Su-27 fighter jet came within several feet of a U.S. RC-135 plane

“There are some violations of airspace, not necessarily incursion into NATO territory, but we are mostly witnessing what we call non-professional behaviour in the air.” A NATO official said the actions by Russian pilots would be among the concerns raised in Thursday’s meeting.

Due to the crowded airspace over the Baltic Sea, an agreement has been worked out where Russian military aircraft en route to the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad, between Poland and Lithuania, stick to a strict corridor. But there have been complaints the aircraft have been flying without transponders or using radio contact, making it hazardous for commercial jets.

GETTY Tensions between the West and Moscow have sunk to a low point

There is always risk that something will go wrong Petr Pavel

And further inflaming tensions, there is also anger over Russia’s plans for a large-scale military exercise, named Zapad, or West. Under the Vienna Document, members of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) - including Russia and NATO - there must be an official notice of exercise involving more than 9,000 troops.

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Any exercise exceeding 13,000 troops must allows OSCE states to observe the drills. But NATO officials believe Zapad involves 100,000 troops, but is being broken up so as to circumvent the threshold for notification.

DEPTOFDEFENSE 25,000 NATO troops have been stationed in Bulgaria