Downing of Su-24 'Will Have Serious Consequences' for Russia-Turkey Ties

The Russian president underscored that "either way, our pilots and our plane were not posing a threat to the Republic of Turkey."    

“This tragic event will have serious consequences for Russian-Turkish relations. We have always regarded Turkey not only as a close neighbor, but also as a friendly state. I don’t know who needed what was done today, but we didn’t in any case,” Putin said during a meeting with Jordanian King Abdullah II in Sochi. 

Russia will analyze everything that happened with its crashed Su-24 Fencer bomber aircraft in Syria, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday.

"We will, of course, carefully analyze everything that happened," Putin said at a meeting with Jordan's King Abdullah II.

"Instead of contacting us immediately Turkey addressed their  NATO partners  — as if it was us who downed their plane, not vice versa. Do they want to put NATO at the service of ISIL? " Putin said. 

"Our jet fell six kilometers away from the border, within Syrian arispace." 

The Russian Su-24 jet was directly tasked with the fight against the Islamic State group, carrying out preventative airstrikes against terrorists, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday.

"They were carrying out an operation to combat IS. Northern Latakia is a mountainous region where militants are gathered, mostly natives of the Russian Federation. In this sense, they were carrying out their direct task of preventative strikes against terrorists who could return to Russia at any time. These are, of course, people who must be considered international terrorists," Putin said at a meeting with Jordan's King Abdullah II.

A Russian Su-24 bomber jet was shot down over Syria on Tuesday, according to reports from the Russian Defense Ministry. The two pilots were able to eject from the plane, although their current fate is unknown.