Turkey has refused to apologize for shooting the jet down, saying Russian Federation is at fault for violating Turkish sovereignty and being overly aggressive.
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The plane was hit by a Turkish warplane as it was travelling one kilometer away from the Turkish border, Putin said.
According to the Russian president, the plane was on a mission targeting terrorist targets in the Latakia province of Syria, “many of whom came from Russia”.
The Georgian finance ministry’s excise service said some trucks that can not get into Russian Federation are driving back to Azerbaijan and Turkey, while hundreds have chose to wait in the neutral zone between Russian Federation and Georgia.
Vallely, who served in the Vietnam War and retired in 1993 as Deputy Commanding General, Pacific Command, said Turkey’s “unilateral action” in downing the Russian jet was also a signal to North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, meaning that despite being a member, they would not refrain from pursuing their own interests when necessary.
“It’s a great pity that the unprecedented level of our interstate relations that has been reached with Turkey over the past 10 years… we considered Turkey not only a neighbor but a friendly state, almost an ally.is so thoughtlessly and stupidly being destroyed”, Putin said. Russia, meanwhile, says that the Turkish attack was a deliberate provocation.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan however was in no apologetic mood.
“But we said on the phone yesterday (Wednesday) that we are sorry”, he added, referring to a phone conversation with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov. The second pilot, identified as Captain Konstantin Murkahtin, was rescued by Russian and Syrian forces. “It appears that Turkey want North Atlantic Treaty Organisation to serve the interests of IS”.
The S-400 is the most advanced anti-aircraft defense system in Russian Federation, and is unparalleled in the world.
Turkey has been participating for months in the U.S.-led bombing campaign against the Islamic State in Syria.
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Russian Federation has been carrying out airstrikes against opponents of President Bashar al-Assad since late September.
