MOSCOW (Sputnik) — NATO member states understand that the downing of a Russian Su-24 strike aircraft by Turkey over Syrian territory will have serious long-term consequences for the alliance, Russian Envoy to NATO Alexander Grushko said Friday.
"The most important thing for NATO, to my mind, is that they understood that such reckless actions, as the decision to shot down a Russian jet, can have long-term consequences for the alliance," Grushko said in an interview with the television channel Rossiya-24.
On November 24, a Russian Su-24 strike aircraft was brought down in Syria by an air-to-air missile fired from a Turkish F-16 fighter. According to Ankara, the missile was shot in response to the jet's violation of Turkish airspace.
Both Russian and Syrian defense officials confirmed that the Su-24 never crossed into Turkish airspace, and was illegally downed in Syria.
