Putin claims US had told Turkey the coordinates of downed Russian warplane
The Russian President said he would work alongside both countries to fight Islamic State and said the incident should not be repeated.
Vladimir Putin rejected claims that Turkey did not know it was shooting down a Russian warplane earlier this week, and said that the United States was aware of the location of the Russian jet. Putin said that Russian planes are easily identifiable, and that the US, which leads the coalition that Turkey is a part of, knew the location and time of Russian flights in the area, and could have thus relayed this information. Turkey had earlier said that if it had known the plane was Russian, it might have acted differently. Turkey and the US also defended their right to down the plane, saying it had crossed into Turkish airspace, though Russia has maintained that it was within the Syrian limits.
He added that leaders in the coalition against Islamic State had to ensure its warplanes were not targeted by member countries. Putin has agreed to support France and other countries to fight IS militants in Syria. At a joint press conference with French President Francois Hollande, Putin said Russia would work with the US-led coalition, but added his forces would “proceed from the assumption” that a similar incident would not recur.