Putin Not Ready to Forgive Turkey Over Russian Warplane Shooting

Vladimir Putin has announced plans to adopt further sanctions to punish Ankara for shooting down a Russian warplane.

Russian President Vladimir Putin takes part in a live broadcast nationwide call-in in Moscow April 16, 2015. (Photo: Reuters)

President Vladimir Putin, on Thursday, delivered his annual “State of the Nation” speech to the Russian Parliament.

In his speech he warned Turkey about the Kremlin’s plans to adopt further sanctions against it, to punish Ankara for shooting down a Russian warplane near the Syrian-Turkish border on November 24.

Russia has already banned some Turkish food imports in retaliation as part of a sanctions package, and has accused Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and his family of benefiting from the smuggling of oil from Islamic State controlled territory in Syria and Iraq. All such allegations have been denied by Turkey.

But on Thursday, without specifying how, Putin made it clear that Moscow planned to go much further, using strong rhetoric which underscored the continued depth of his anger towards Ankara over the incident.

We are not planning to engage in military sabre-rattling. But if anyone thinks that having committed this awful war crime – the murder of our people – they are going to get away with some measures concerning their tomatoes or some limits on construction and other sectors, they are sorely mistaken.

Russian President, Vladimir Putin told the Kremlin