Two Russian warplanes zoomed past the USS Donald Cook earlier week while the American destroyer was patrolling in the Baltic Sea.

Although the warplanes had no visible weaponry, a US official said the actions "one of the most aggressive acts in recent memory".

Video footage filmed from the deck of the Cook shows one of the two Sukhoi SU-24 warplanes coming within feet of the American ship.

The incident happened in international waters, but the US Navy said the passes "could have caused an accident".