Turkey
© Sputnik/ Vladimir Astapkovich
Earlier, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned Moscow against using its S-400 air defense system to shoot down Turkish fighter jets if they violate Syrian airspace just days after Ankara had brought down a Russian Su-24 bomber.

Turkey must assess its own moves against Russia's downed Su-24 aircraft before deeming the deployment of Russian S-400 air defense systems in Syria an act of aggression, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday, commenting on recent statements by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

On Wednesday, Erdogan said that Turkey would call the use of S-400 missile systems against Turkish aircraft an act of aggression against his country's sovereignty.

"As for these classifications, the most important thing for us, of course, is to define the moves against our downed plane. How do you define what the Turkish air force did," Peskov told reporters.

On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin approved the Defense Ministry's request to deploy the S-400 systems at the Hmeymim Airbase in Syria airbase to protect anti-terror operations by Russia's Aerospace Forces in the country. The decision was made one day after Turkey downed a Russian Su-24 bomber.

Ergodan Called Putin 7-8 Hours After Downing of Su-24 Over Syria

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Ergodan called Russian President Vladimir Putin only seven or eight hours after the Russian Su-24 Fencer bomber was shot down over Syria, Peskov said.

On Thursday, Erdogan said in an interview with France24 that he had tried to call Putin after the incident, but could not reach him.

"Yes, that was somewhere between seven or eight hours after the incident and no earlier," Peskov told journalists.

Turkish fighter jets on Tuesday shot down a Russian Su-24 bomber, which was taking part in Russia's anti-terror campaign in Syria.

Russian President Vladimir Putin described the incident as a "stab in the back, carried out against us by accomplices of terrorists."

Ankara claims it downed the Russian plane because it violated Turkish airspace. Contrary to Turkey's allegations, the Russian General Staff and the Syrian Air Defense Command confirmed that the Su-24 never crossed into Turkish airspace, citing precise objective control data.