Turkish-Russian war of words goes beyond downed plane

Analysis: Political rupture between erstwhile partners unlikely to heal as as long as Putin, Erdogan remain in power

December 9, 2015 | http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2015/12/9/turkey-russian-relationship-felled-by-more-than-a-downed-jet.html

by Dmitri Trenin

Turkey’s downing of a Russian jet last month near the Turkish-Syrian border has led to a widening war of words between the erstwhile friendly countries, and added yet another dangerous wrinkle to the unresolved Syrian civil war. While the incident was the ostensible tipping point for the sudden downturn in Ankara-Moscow relations, the bond had already reached a breaking point over the divergent courses pursued in a Syrian conflict that has so-far stymied diplomatic solutions.
In his annual State of the Nation speech on Dec. 3, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he still could not understand why Turkey had shot down the Russian Su-24 bomber, killing two servicemen aboard.http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2015/12/9/turkey-russian-relationship-felled-by-more-than-a-downed-jet.html