Vladimir Putin says Turkey will regret committing war crime, promises further sanctions
The Russian President said Turkey would have reason to regret its actions 'more than once' and also called on countries to reject links with terrorist groups.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday once again hit out at Turkey for shooting down a Russian warplane last Tuesday, and said that the country had committed a war crime. In an address to the nation broadcast live on Russian television, Putin said that "if anyone thinks Russia's reaction will be limited to trade sanctions, they are deeply mistaken". He added, "We'll remind them again what they did – they will regret it."
Putin said that Turkey would have reason to regret its actions "more than once" and promised further sanctions, reported Reuters. The Russian leader also called on countries to reject links with terrorist groups, a reference to Turkey after Putin had accused its leaders of having links to Islamic State militants. Russia earlier imposed wide-ranging sanctions on Turkey, including an import ban on Turkish foods, and a ban on Russians travelling to Turkey on package holidays.
Turkey shot down a Russian warplane on November 24, stating it crossed into Turkish territory, violating airspace regulations, and ignored repeated warnings from Turkey. Russia alleged that its two pilots did not receive any warnings. Both countries have had hostile relations since then, with Putin refusing to meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the ongoing Paris climate change conference. Russia is involved in airstrikes against the Islamic State militants in Syria since late September.