Russia's Defense Ministry says it has presented a proposal to the United States to develop a mechanism for preventing confrontations on the open sea and airspace above it.
The Russian ministry said that during consultations with the U.S. military on June 8, "the Russian side submitted proposals to develop a mechanism to prevent incidents."
After the meeting, the ministry said, "Recommendations on prevention of incidents and on enhancing the safety of navigation on and flights over high seas were drawn up," with "emphasis...on the use of authorized signals and communication channels."
The Russian proposal comes in the wake of several tense incidents recently. In April, a Russian jet flew about 15 meters from the wing tip of a U.S. aircraft, and two Russian jets buzzed the USS Donald Cook in the Baltic Sea.
The Pentagon said a Russian fighter plane also conducted a barrel roll over a U.S. reconnaissance plane flying above the Baltic and described the various maneuvers as "dangerous" and "unprofessional."
