LONDON, United Kingdom. Vladimir Putin has said he “sees no prospect” of improving relations with Turkey after it shot down a Russian jet bomber last month.
Using crude language, the Russian President accused Turkey of downing the warplane to impress the United States : “I don’t know if there was such a trade-off, maybe there was.
“If somebody in the Turkish leadership decided to lick the Americans in one place… I don’t know, if they did the right thing.”
Mr Putin described the shooting down of the jet as “an act of enmity” and said he did not understand why it happened.
“It is hard for us to reach agreement with the current Turkish leadership, if at all possible,” he said, during his annual news conference in Moscow.
Relations between the two countries have hit a low since the downing of the aircraft near the Syrian border.
Turkey has refused to apologise and insists the Russian jet’s pilot repeatedly ignored warnings that his aircraft was violating the country’s airspace.
However, Russia maintains the Sukhoi Su-24 never encroached Turkish airspace and was downed over Syria.
Mr Putin slammed the action as a “stab in the back” at the time and has also accused Turkey of shooting down the war plane to protect oil supplies coming in from Islamic State.
“What have they achieved? Maybe they thought that we would run away from there (Syria)? But Russia is not such a country,” he said on Thursday.
Mr Putin uses his annual televised conference to address all major domestic and foreign issues.
The ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine, the battle against Islamic State in Syria, the Russian economy and doping in sport also featured in this year’s address:
- Syria – Russian forces in Syria have been providing air support to some of the armed opposition groups fighting Islamic State. Mr Putin said the military operation will continue until a political solution is found. He said Russia supported a US draft on a UN Security Council resolution on Syria, which includes plans for a new constitution and elections. Mr Putin said the Syrian people themselves must determine who rules the country.
- Ukraine – Mr Putin said he wants the conflict in eastern Ukraine settled as soon as possible, and that Russia is ready to talk about a possible exchange of prisoners.
- Economy– He said the Russian economy is showing signs of stabilising despite plummeting oil prices.
- Doping in Sport –Mr Putin said Russia is committed to fighting doping in sports and has demanded Russian officials fully cooperate with international organisations.
- S.– He said he wants to improve relations with America, and is willing to work with whoever is elected as the next US president to do that.
- Donald Trump – He described US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump as an “unquestionably talented” man. He added: “It’s not up to us to judge his virtue, that is up to US voters, but he is the absolute leader of the presidential race.”
- Egypt – Mr Putin said Russia is working with Egypt to restore air links that Moscow cut following the crash of a Russian airliner in Sinai, which it believes was brought down by a bomb.
- 2018 World Cup – He said Russia won honestly the right to host the tournament.
Credit: Sky News
