US jets intercepted by Russia as Moscow complains about 'aggressive military activity in the Black Sea region' - and tensions remain high over exercises on the border with Ukraine

Russia's Defense Ministry has complained about what it says is 'aggressive U.S. military action' as tension mounts over Ukraine and Putin's planes intercepted American jets over international waters.   

The US 6th Fleet took issue with Russia's criticism, and called the interactions with the Kremlin's jets 'safe and professional,' according to Military.com.

But the incident provides further cause for concern in European capitals and in DC, as relations between Moscow and the world sink further - driven by Russia's troop movements near Ukraine, and threats by their ally Belarus to shut of natural gas supplies flowing from Russia through Belarus.

Vladimir Putin, the only friend of Belarus's dictator, rapped Lukashenko over the knuckles for his threat, insisting that Russia would not allow the gas tap to be turned off.

However, Putin has not addressed claims that Lukashenko is deliberately ferrying migrants from the Middle East and North Africa to the European Union - a move which has infuriated the EU, and seen troops from Britain and other countries move into the region.

President Joe Biden issued his own expression of concern as he left the White House for Camp David on Friday.

'It’s of great concern. We’ve communicated our concern to Russia. We’ve communicated our concern to Belarus. We think it’s a problem,' he said in response to a shouted question from a reporter about the migrant situation.

On Friday, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and Defense Minister Florence Parly met their Russian counterparts in Paris, in a bid to calm tensions.

Sergei Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister, and Sergei Shoygu, head of the Ministry of Defense, were in Paris, amid mounting concern at Russia's activities in Eastern Europe.

'The two [French] ministers shared their concerns about the deterioration of the security situation in Ukraine and clearly warned of serious consequences related to any new harm to Ukraine's territorial integrity,' the joint statement from the French foreign and defense ministries said.

Yet Shoygu's ministry on the same day condemned the U.S. and NATO for their own actions in the region.  

'We view the US aggressive military activity in the Black Sea region as a threat to regional security and strategic stability,' said a statement from the Defense Ministry.

The NATO countries that are holding unscheduled drills in the Black Sea have intensified air reconnaissance near the Russian borders, the ministry said.

'The true goal of the US actions unprovoked by Russia are to study the theater of military operations in case of the use-of-force scenario in the southeast.

'The intensity of NATO air reconnaissance near the borders of the Russian Federation in the Black Sea continues growing,' the statement says.

Moscow said that their radars spotted and tracked six NATO reconnaissance planes over the Black Sea in the past 24 hours.

The radars picked up five U.S. planes and one French.

They reported spotting three U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol planes, which had taken off from the U.S. airbase on Sicily; a U.S. Air Force RC-135 strategic reconnaissance plane from the airbase on Crete; and a U.S. Air Force U-2S strategic reconnaissance aircraft from their Cyprus airbase.

The French Air Force plane was a C-160G Gabriel reconnaissance aircraft, which had taken off from the airbase in Romania.

The Russians also noted seeing the US Navy guided missile destroyer Porter, the command ship Mount Whitney and the tanker John Lenthall.

The flotilla is currently deployed in the southwestern part of the Black Sea, after completing their transit from the Georgian port of Batumi and continue moving westward, the ministry said.

'The Black Sea Fleet's ships: the missile cruiser Moskva, the frigate Admiral Essen and the patrol vessel Pavel Derzhavin are closely watching the US warships in the Black Sea,' Russia's Defense Ministry said.