Russian planes flew "dangerously close" to a US naval ship that contravenes professional military norms, the White House said.

The Department of Defense released footage filmed this week that appears to show Russian planes flying near a US guided missile destroyer in the Baltic Sea.

The footage shows the two Russian SU-24 jets flying closely to the USS Donald Cook four times.

An official on board the vessel, who spoke to US media on condition of anonymity, said the planes flew as close as 30ft in "simulated attacks".

White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters that there have been repeated incidents over the last year which raised "serious safety concerns" and that the US remains "concerned".

Earnest added that he believed the action is intended to be "provocative".

They're a source of some irritation and that's something that we have expressed again both publicly and privately to the Russians," he said.

The US Navy released photographs of the incidents on April 11 and 12 describing them as "aggressive".