The U.S. State Department said on Monday that the downed Russian
warplane violated Turkish airspace, urging Russia and Turkey to
de-escalate the situation through dialogue.
"The available information, including evidence from Turkey and our own
sources, indicates the Russian aircraft violated Turkish airspace,"
State Department spokeswoman Elizabeth Trudeau told a daily press
briefing. "We also know that the Turks warned the Russian pilots
multiple times before the airspace violation, to which the Turks
received no response."
Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree imposing economic sanctions against Turkey on Saturday.
Russia's move came after Turkey shot down a Russia's fighter jet last
Tuesday, with the latter claiming that the Russian warplane violated
Turkish airspace, which Moscow vehemently denied and insisted the Su-24
fighter jet stayed over Syria during its flight.
"We support Turkey's right to defend its territorial airspace," Trudeau
said. However, it is important now for Ankara and Moscow to take
measures to de-escalate the tensions.
Earlier on Saturday, Turkish Foreign Ministry issued a travel warning,
urging Turkish nationals to postpone their visits to Russia unless
absolutely necessary.
"We need to encourage dialogue now and we need to de-escalate the situation," Trudeau said.
Putin has warned that the incident would have serious consequences for Moscow-Ankara relations.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday voiced regret over
the incident, saying his country was "truly saddened" by the incident
and wished it hadn't occurred.
Erdogan had previously proposed a meeting with Putin on the sidelines
of the climate change summit in Paris on Monday, but was rejected by the
Kremlin
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