Crisis averted in Turkey-Russia conflict -- for now
Russia's government said it's still waiting for "a realistic explanation" for the downing of a Russian warplane by Turkish forces along the Syrian border, but a spokesman said Russia is not planning any economic sanctions. A Turkish official said that the two countries "do not have the luxury of bad relations."
Both Turkey and Russia are pushing their version of events following the shooting down of that Russian jet, reports CBS News correspondent Holly Williams.
Turkey said the aircraft strayed over a mile into its territory for just 17 seconds, but that it was not an isolated incident, and released a distorted recording of what it said was one of 10 warnings given to the Russian plane.
But the Russian pilot who survived told journalists that he did not receive a warning and didn't cross into Turkish airspace.
It looked like a very dangerous situation just 24 hours ago, with one of the Russian pilots dead and Russian President Vladimir Putin threatening serious consequences. But it was clear Thursday morning that all the players in this drama, including Turkey's NATO ally, the U.S., wanted to avoid a conflict.
So a crisis has been averted this time, but that doesn't resolve the underlying problem -- the Syrian civil war. The U.S., Russia, Turkey, Iran and other countries have all taken sides in Syria's war, and now they're being drawn deeper and deeper into the conflict -- and perhaps closer to a conflict with each other.
