The Turkish authorities’ actions against the Russian plane are a hostile act, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated during his annual major press conference.

“Had this been an unfortunate incident, the phone is definitely picked up in those cases and explanations are given,” Putin said. “But instead, they [i.e. Turkey] immediately ran to Brussels.”

The Russian president noted that his country was ready to collaborate with Turkey on very sensitive issues, which do not fall in the context of international law.

Putin said Turkey, with such conduct, has made Russia increase its military presence and enhance its air defense systems in Syria, and as a result, Turkish planes can no longer fly over that area.

The Russian president said he does not know whether there is a third party involved in his country’s current conflict with Turkey.

Vladimir Putin assumed that the Russian plane incident could have been a result of either someone from the Turkish authorities deciding to “lick the appropriate place of the Americans,” or there was some exchange in connection with deploying Turkish troops to Iraq.