Russian Federation accuses Turkey’s Erdogan of involvement with ISIS oil trade

The trucks then crossed into neighbouring Turkey, the ministry said.

“The main consumer of this oil stolen from its legitimate owners Syria and Iraq is Turkey”, deputy defence minister Anatoly Antonov told journalists at a packed briefing.

“Maybe I’m speaking too bluntly, but the control over that thievish business could only be given to the closest people”, Antonov said, adding that Erdogan’s son heads a top energy company and his son-in-law has been named Turkey’s energy minister.

“What a marvelous family business!” said Antonov sarcastically.

He said he doesn’t wan’t bilateral relations between the two countries to deteriorate further and he said “adding fuel to the flames is to no one’s benefit”. A Russian marine also died trying to retrieve a second pilot.

Antonov offered no evidence of involvement by Erdogan or any of his family members in oil trade with IS.

Mr Obama said he did not expect a quick reversal of Mr Putin’s strategy in Syria, but Moscow may eventually align itself withthe US-led coalition fighting ISIS.

Russian Federation began airstrikes in Syria at the end of September and claimed during the press briefing Wednesday that they have managed to cut down on oil smuggling that has helped fund ISIS.

Erdogan responded to the accusation on Wednesday by rejecting Russia’s right to “slander” Turkey with such claims.

Erdogan quickly took a slap back at Putin, saying he’ll resign if Moscow’s claims are proven true.

“We are saddened by the disproportional responses by Russian Federation to an incident in which the whole world agrees we are right”, Erdogan said.

“A united gang of terrorists and Turkish elites is active in the region, stealing oil from neighbors”, he said.

“Of course, this is not going to go down at all well in Ankara”, he said.

Even with the latest developments, observers say the first sign of a possible easing of tensions could be the announcement that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will meet this week with his Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu, on the sidelines of an OSCE conference in Belgrade.

The Russian defence ministry also alleged that the same criminal networks which were smuggling oil into Turkey were also supplying weapons, equipment and training to Islamic State and other Islamist groups.

“The fact that Turkey shot down a Russian fighter jet, killing the pilots cruelly, showed that the Erdogan government is irritated and impatient at having its secrets revealed”.

Putin said Monday that Moscow had received “additional data” which confirm that Daesh oil “enters the territory of Turkey”.

The available information indicates the warplane was in Turkish airspace, State Department spokeswoman Elizabeth Trudeau said.