President Barack Obama voiced regret Monday to Russian President Vladimir Putin over the Turkish shootdown of a Russian jet fighter last week, and he urged the Kremlin leader to reduce tensions with Turkey over the incident.
The two leaders met for 30 minutes on the sidelines of the United Nations Climate Summit outside Paris. Turkey said it shot down the aircraft after it entered its air space, with a Russian pilot and crew member killed in the attack and subsequent rescue effort. Putin responded by imposing economic sanctions against Ankara.
Obama and Putin discussed the continuing warfare in Syria in detail, Washington and Moscow said, with both agreeing on the need for a political settlement of the four-and-a-half-year-old conflict between rebel groups trying to oust President Bashar al-Assad and forces loyal to his government.