Putin calls Turkey ‘accomplices of terrorists’ after Russian jet shot down
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Putin calls Turkey ‘accomplices of terrorists’ after Russian jet shot down –
Russia’s president Vladimir Putin has warned Turkey of ‘serious consequences’ after a Russia fighter jet was shot down close to Turkey’s border with Syria. Putin described the incident as a “stab in the back” and accused Turkey of siding with Islamic State militants in Syria.
Here are the key quotes from Putin’s statement:
- “The loss today is a stab in the back, carried out by the accomplices of terrorists. I can’t describe it in any other way.”
- “Our aircraft was downed over the territory of Syria, using air-to-air missile from a Turkish F-16. It fell on the Syrian territory 4km from Turkey.”
- “Neither our pilots nor our jet threatened the territory of Turkey.”
- “Today’s tragic event will have significant consequences, including for Russia-Turkish relations … Instead of immediately getting in contact with us, as far as we know, the Turkish side immediately turned to their partners from Nato to discuss this incident, as if we shot down their plane and not they ours.”
- “Do they want to make Nato serve ISIS? … We hope that the international community will find the strength to come together and fight against the common evil.”