Russia and the United States discussed their proposals on flight safety in Syria during a video conference, the Russian Defense Ministry said Saturday in a statement.
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The Kremlin called in Britain’s military attaché for a dressing-down last night after reports that RAF pilots had been authorised to shoot down Russian warplanes in the Middle East.
“The first thing a British pilot will do is to try to avoid a situation where an air-to-air attack is likely to occur – you avoid an area if there is Russian activity,” the unidentified source from the UK’s Permanent Joint Headquarters (PJHQ) told The Sunday Times.
The Royal Air Force’s (RAF) Tornado combat aircraft are said to be equipped with up to four Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missiles (ASRAAM) to shoot down a Russian jet they encounter.
But the pilots have been warned they must be prepared to fire on Russian jets if their lives depend on it. “We now have a situation where a single pilot, irrespective of nationality, can have a strategic impact on future events”.
An Foreign Office spokesman said the defence attache had a meeting with the Russian ministry of defence on Sunday.
The U.S., Britain, France and others have accused Moscow of launching airstrikes against non-ISIS targets in Syria. Prime Minister David Cameron is expected to seek parliamentary approval within weeks to extend the operation to Syria, however.
The initial report was published by The Daily Star and The Sunday Times.
One source said: “No one knows what the Russians will do next”. At the same time, RAF does not participate in the anti-ISIS coalition strikes in Syria. “Whose morale are they meant to raise?”
Tensions between Russian Federation and Western forces have increased since Putin announced an assault on rebels who have been trying to overthrow Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.
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He said it was “illogical” to attack Islamic State fighters in Iraq but not in Syria.
