Russian Federation is under pressure by the U.S. to focus its airstrikes against ISIL, rather than the US-backed Syrian opposition groups fighting to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Advertisement
Russian Federation has imposed sanctions on Turkey within the downing of the airplane, including limitations on imports of Turkish food and an ending to visa-free traveling.
The country’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said he would resign his office if Russian Federation can prove its claim regarding the purchasing of oil from ISIS.
“I think Mr Putin understands that, with Afghanistan fresh in the memory, for him to simply get bogged down in an inconclusive and paralysing civil conflict is not the outcome that he’s looking for”, said Obama, referring to the Afghan conflict of the 1980s which became a major drain on Moscow’s resources. “That is ISIL”, said Obama, adding that he wants to make sure all parties focus on that threat.
Putin refused an offer for a meeting by President Erdogan on the sidelines of the Paris climate talks that kicked off Monday. Hours after the incident, Putin said the Turks were “accomplices of terrorists”, vowing that the incident would have “serious consequences”. Mindful of the rising tensions, U.S. President Barack Obama has called for both sides to de-escalate and focus on the common enemy – the Islamic State group. “I don’t expect that you’re going to see a 180 turn on their strategy over the next several weeks”, Mr Obama said.
“Russian authorities should know it was not Turkish jets that violated Russian air space”, Davutoglu said, adding that “when there is a war taking place on our doorstep and refugees are pouring into Turkey, it would not be responsible behavior to ignore airspace incursions”.
It came as Obama’s Pentagon chief said the United States would increasingly rely on special operations forces to battle IS fighters in Iraq and Syria, where the extremists have seized huge swathes of territory including oil fields used to fund their activities. Nevertheless, in August it enabled the US-led coalition to start using its airbase.
The ban applies to a range of Turkish products, including fruits and vegetables – such as tomatoes, cucumbers and apples – poultry products and salt, according to the list published on the government’s website.
Putin said separately he believed “the decision to shoot down our plane was dictated by the desire to protect the oil supply lines to Turkish territory, right to the ports where it is loaded onto tankers”. “I want to be very clear: Turkey is a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation ally”.
Advertisement
But those efforts have been complicated by a diplomatic spat between Turkey and Russia over the downing of a Russian warplane. Russian officials have said they could be expanded if necessary.
