Turkey closed its airspace to Russian jets flying to Syria, a shift in policy aimed at increasing the cost of the war in Ukraine for President Vladimir Putin.
Turkey barred the Russian aircraft, including any civilian flights carrying troops, from its skies for the first time since Russia intervened in Syria’s civil war in 2015 in support of President Bashar Assad.
The move adds to external pressure on Moscow to end its conflict in Ukraine, now entering its third month. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Putin of his decision in a phone call, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu was cited as saying by state broadcaster TRT. He didn’t specify when the call took place.
