Turkey Closes Airspace To Russian Planes With Troops To Syria

Russia has suffered another blow as Turkey closes its airspace to Russian planes carrying troops to Syria, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported, forcing Moscow to fly a longer route to Damascus.

Photo Insert: Chief of Staff General Yaşar GÜLER in a meeting on Ukraine with the Chiefs of Staff/Representatives of the USA, Germany, Australia, England, Denmark, France, Netherlands, Sweden, Italy, Canada, Norway, Portugal and Greece

Just last month, Turkey blocked Russian warships from crossing the narrow Bosporus strait that connects the Black Sea with the Mediterranean Sea, muddling its naval supply lines in Syria, Reuters also reported.

Turkey’s latest aviation ban represents a major shift in the otherwise cautious Turkish government policy toward pressuring Moscow to reach a peace agreement with Ukraine.

Moscow is also miffed that Turkey has been selling the efficient armed drone Bayraktar TB2 to Ukraine. The drone uses an engine developed by Ukraine and it is now being produced in Ukraine as well.

"We closed airspace to Russia's military planes and even to civilian planes going to Syria and carrying soldiers," the Turkish foreign ministry told reporters on Saturday.

Turkey was granting Russia access to its airspace in three-month intervals, which Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government decided not to renew, complicating logistics for Russia's military in Syria.

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Chief of Staff General Yaşar GÜLER held a meeting with the Chiefs of Staff/Representatives of the USA, Germany, Australia, England, Denmark, France, Netherlands, Sweden, Italy, Canada, Norway, Portugal and Greece