Putin orders sanctions on Turkey after jet shot down

Russian President Vladmir Putin has said Turkey shot down a Russian warplane in order to protect its oil trade with Islamic State, adding that Russia had received more information showing that IS oil was going via Turkey.

President Putin said he did not meet his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the climate change summit in Paris on Monday to discuss the downing of the jet, which he described as a "huge mistake".

Mr Putin's comments are the latest in the war of words between Russia and Turkey following the downing of the Russian jet near the Syrian border last week.

Russia announced at the weekend a series of economic sanctions against Turkey.

Turkey's Prime Minister has dismissed calls for an apology over the shooting of a Russian jet near the Syrian border, saying: "No country should ask us to apologise."

Ahmet Davutoglu was speaking after a meeting with Nato's general secretary in Brussels, during which the alliance reiterated its strong support for Turkey's right to defend its airspace.

Turkey says the jet made repeated incursions into Turkish territory and was warned multiple times before it was shot down. Russia disputes the claims.

Mr Davutoglu added that such incidents continued to be a risk as long as Russia and the US-led coalition against so-called Islamic State continued to carry out separate bombing campaigns.

The body of a pilot killed when Turkey shot down a Russian jet last week is now in Turkey's hands, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has said.

The body will be handed over to Russia at Moscow's request, he said.

He added that the issue of different coalitions operating in Syria with differing objectives meant similar incidents could happen in the future without improved information sharing and coordination.

Russia's newly announced economic sanctions against Turkey will only "deepen the problem" a senior Turkish official has said.

President Vladamir Putin ordered the sanctions in retaliation for Turkey downing a Russian jet near the Syrian border.

"Sanctions like this would only damage relations. These steps do not make anything easier, but deepen the problem," the official told Reuters.

Russia has announced a series of economic sanctions against Turkey after the downing of a Russian jet near the Syrian border.

In a series of restrictions announced by the Kremlin, President Vladimir Putin imposed:

• Restrictions on imports of some Turkish products
• Limits on the operations of some Turkish firms based in Russia
• Russian tour operators were told to refrain from selling holidays to Turkey
• Russian companies are to also restrict hiring Turkish staff from January 1, 2016.

Tensions between the two countries have been fraught since Turkey shot down a Russian military jet near the Syrian border on November 24.

One pilot survived but the other was reportedly killed by militants on the ground.

Turkey claims it issued repeated warnings to the plane saying it was in their airspace before it was shot down.

But the surviving Russian pilot Captain Konstantin Murakhtin maintained he did not violate Turkey's airspace and that he heard no prior warnings.

The Turkish President has said he is "truly saddened" by his country's downing of a Russian military jet and wishes it had not happened.

It is the first time Recep Tayyip Erdogan has expressed regret over the incident.

He added he hoped something like this never occurs again and that neither country should allow the incident to escalate.

Russia is suspending its visa-free regime with Turkey, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has confirmed.

The suspension will come into force as of January 1, 2016.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has issued a stark message to Russia, warning them not to "play with fire" in the wake of a dispute over the downing of a Russian warplane.

He said: "We very sincerely recommend to Russia not to play with fire.

"We really attach a lot of importance to our relations with Russia... We don't want these relations to suffer harm in any way."

The warning came as Turkey made claims that Russia's criticism of the shooting down of the jet near the Syrian border on Monday, and the country's subsequent threats of economic sanctions, had been "unacceptable".

Russia's government has reportedly been drawing up measures including freezing some joint investment projects and restricting food imports from Turkey after what one politician branded as the "intentional murder of our soldiers".

Turkey will work with Russia to calm tensions after a Russian jet was shot down near the Syrian border, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has said.

The Turkish leader said discussions were taking place following the incident on Tuesday, which has plunged Ankara's relations with Moscow to their worst in recent memory.

Writing in The Times newspaper, Davutoglu said: "The necessary discussions are now taking place.

"While the measures to defend our territory will remain in place, Turkey will work with Russia and our allies to calm tensions."

Russia may impose a series of economic sanctions in retaliation for Turkey shooting down one its warplanes.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev ordered his government to draw up measures that would include freezing some joint investment projects and restrictions on food imports from Turkey.

Other sanctions may include restrictions on the planned TurkSteam gas pipeline, Economy Minister Alexei Ulyukayev said.

Commercial flights, tourism and preparations for a free trade zone between the two countries may also be curtailed, Mr Ulyukayev warned.