Russia and Turkey accuse each other of buying oil from the Islamic State

The war of words between Moscow and Ankara took a new turn early this week in the wake of Turkey’s Nov. 24 downing of a Russian jet that had flown briefly into Turkish airspace during a sortie in Syria.

 

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, traded accusations on the sidelines of the Paris climate summit. Putin said Turkey’s behavior was aimed at protecting its interests. Some Erdogan critics, now including Putin, allege that these involve ties to the Islamic State militant group.

 

“At the moment, we have received additional information confirming that oil from the deposits controlled by Islamic State militants enters Turkish territory on an industrial scale,” Putin said Monday. “We have every reason to believe that the decision to down our plane was guided by a desire to ensure security of this oil’s delivery routes to ports where they are shipped in tankers.”

 

Read More: Russia and Turkey accuse each other of buying oil from the Islamic State – The Washington Post