Russia to cut economic ties with Turkey over jet incident
Russia has announced plans to cut its economic ties with Turkey and scrap investment projects in a matter of days following the Turkish downing of a Russian warplane.
The televised statement by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev came a day after Russian media reported that hundreds of trucks bringing Turkish goods were left stranded at the border.
Mr Medvedev instructed the government to draft sanctions against Turkey within the next two days in a response to the downing of the Russian Su-24, which he described as an “act of aggression against our country”.
President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov explained on Thursday that customs officials along the border were scrutinising Turkish goods due to “various reasons” including a possible terrorist threat.
He said: “This is only natural in the light of Turkey’s unpredictable actions.”
In Georgia, customs officials reported that trucks with Turkish number plates driving via Georgia to Russia cannot get through.
The Georgian finance ministry’s excise service said some trucks that cannot get into Russia are driving back to Azerbaijan and Turkey, while hundreds have decided to wait in the neutral zone between Russia and Georgia.
