Kremlin Yet to Decide on Israel Ties After Plane Crash in Syria

Sputnik International

image (not from article) from

The Russian president’s spokesman said Friday that President Vladimir Putin had been briefed on what an Israeli military delegation had to share with the Russian Defense Ministry on the downing of its jet in Syria, but stressed a decision on the Kremlin’s next step was premature.

Excerpt:

Dmitry Peskov dismissed Israeli media reports that Russian President Vladimir Putin did not answer calls from Syrian leader Bashar Assad after the crash of Russia's Il-20 aircraft in Syria. ...

The remarks came after reporters asked Peskov whether the president was aware that some organizations, linked to the development of public diplomacy [JB emphasis], had allegedly sent appeals to the Russian president following the Russia-US summit in Helsinki, but received no answer. ...

Peskov said the sanctions hysteria in Washington still dominates, hindering a sober assessment of prospects of bilateral relations. He said such actions by the US point to unfair competition, adding that Russian defense industry products are "super-competitive".

On Thursday, the United States added 33 people and entities to its Russian defense and intelligence sector blacklist, meaning that anyone who does business with them will face mandatory US sanctions under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA). ...