Two Russian warplanes have flown simulated attack passes near a US guided missile destroyer in the Baltic Sea, the US military says, with one official describing the incident as one of the most aggressive interactions in recent memory.

Key points: Attack jets fly over bow of US ship

Attack jets fly over bow of US ship Warship was in international waters

Warship was in international waters White House says incident raises serious safety concerns

The US military released videos and photos showing Russian Sukhoi SU-24 attack aircraft flying across the bow of the destroyer in the latest of many recent cases the White House said were unsafe and unprofessional.

"There have been repeated incidents over the past year where the Russian military, including Russian military aircraft, have come close enough ... to other air and sea traffic to raise serious safety concerns," spokesman Josh Earnest said.

"This incident ... is entirely inconsistent with the professional norms of militaries operating in proximity to each other in international water and international airspace."

The US military said the action had the potential to unnecessarily escalate tensions between countries, and could result in a miscalculation or accident that could cause serious injury or death.

The repeated flights, which also happened near the ship a day earlier, were so close they created wake in the water, with 11 passes, a defence official said.

The planes carried no visible weaponry, the official said.

A Russian KA-27 Helix helicopter also made seven passes around the USS Donald Cook, taking pictures.

The nearest Russian territory was about 70 nautical miles away in its enclave of Kaliningrad, which sits between Lithuania and Poland.

"They tried to raise them [the Russian aircraft] on the radio but they did not answer," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity, adding the US ship was in international waters.

"This is more aggressive than anything we've seen in some time."

Two Russian Sukhoi Su-24 attack aircraft fly over the USS Donald Cook in the Baltic Sea. ( AFP: US Navy handout )

Incidents ignite Cold War memories

The events were reminiscent of the Cold War, when a series of close calls led to a bilateral agreement, signed in 1972, aimed at avoiding dangerous interactions at sea.

The agreement prohibited "simulated attacks against aircraft or ships, performing aerobatics over ships, or dropping hazardous objects near them".

The incident came as NATO plans its biggest build-up in eastern Europe since the Cold War to counter what the alliance, and in particular the three Baltic states and Poland, consider to be a more aggressive Russia.

The Baltic states, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, which joined both NATO and the European Union in 2004, have asked NATO for a permanent presence of battalion-sized deployments of allied troops in each of their territories.

A NATO battalion typically consists of 300 to 800 troops. Moscow denies any intention to attack the Baltic states.

A Russian Kamov KA-27 Helix closely surveils the USS Donald Cook. ( AFP: US Navy handout )

The USS Donald Cook had just wrapped up a port visit in the Polish city of Gdynia on April 11 and then proceeded out to sea with a Polish helicopter on board.

The first incident took place on April 11, when two SU-24 jets flew about 20 passes near the Donald Cook, coming within 1,000 metres of the ship, at about 30 metres in altitude.

That was followed by even closer passes by the SU-24s the following day and the passes by the Russian helicopter.

The US military's European Command said in a statement that "US officials are using existing diplomatic channels to address the interactions, while the incidents are also being reviewed through US Navy channels".

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