President Obama called on Russia and Turkey to take steps to halt any military escalation after Turkey shot down a Russian warplane that allegedly entered its airspace Tuesday.
“Turkey–like every country–has a right to defend its country and its air space. I think it is very important right now that both the Russians and the Turks are talking to each other,” Obama said at a White House press conference with French President François Hollande. Obama added that his “top priority” is ensuring “this does not escalate.”
“Hopefully this is a moment where all parties can step back and make a determination as to how their interests are best served,” Obama said, noting that Russia must remember it lost several hundred citizens when ISIL bombed a passenger plane.
Obama said that the incident was a clear example of how Russia’s allegiance to the Assad regime in Syria is interfering with the broader coalition’s attempts to take down ISIL.
“The sooner we agree to this political process, the less likely you have the kind of events that took place, apparently today,” Obama said.
I’ve a feeling that this will escalate.
Various parties are trying to work out a cease fire to the Syrian civil war. If that happens it could de-escalate the situation.
I hope you’re wrong. I hope Turkey has the good sense to somehow show Russia they do mean business with regards to their air space, etc., but also somehow give Putin the ability to pound his chest and crow to the Russian people how he “showed them.” Putin is the sore-loser type of bully who always need to have others allow him to save face. As Josh Marshall pointed out earlier, the Russians aren’t nearly as current with their military know-how and strength as the NATO forces. Push come to shove–and let’s hope it does not get that far–Turkey will seek NATO assistance with any escalation. Turkey is a member in pretty good standing, so they’d be well within their rights to ask for help. That would be a pretty bad-case scenario, but one for which I believe NATO signatories must prepare.
3 dimensional chess.
Prez’s hair is going to get whiter.
Every critic has a “plan” and they are all the same. Form a coalition, get someone else’s boots on the ground, blow up shit, don’t deal with Iran, go back into Iraq…
Now add the tension between Russia and Turkey. Iran is Russia’s only ally in there, so what if Russia calls on Iran for help in Syria? What if Iraq’s Iranian sympathizers give Iran a staging area in Iraq. Near the ISIS territories. What if the Kurds and Sunnis and Shiites start mixing it up over age old issues? What if ISIS retakes a large sector in Afghanistan?
Do you think Trump could sort this out or should we keep him the f**K away from the world?