(VOVworld) – Russia and the United States have accused each other of conducting unsafe maneuvers which led to an incident involving the two countries' navies in the Mediterranean Sea on June 17. The Russian Defence Ministry said a US destroyer had passed dangerously close to a Russian warship, and protested at what it said was a flagrant US violation of rules to avoid collisions at sea.

A F-35C fighter jet on the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (photo: AFP/ TTXVN)

However, a US defense official said the Russian warship had carried out "unsafe and unprofessional" operations near two US Navy ships. The US official said the Russians came within 290 meters of the Gravely, while the Russian Defence Ministry said the Gravely had approached the Russian vessel at a distance of 60-70 meters.

In April, the US military released a video clip showing that Russian SU-24 bombers passed close by the USS Donald Cook in the Baltic Sea. The Russian Defence Ministry offered evidence proving that the US’s accusation was wrong.