The US and France are urging Russia to focus its attacks on ISIS in Syria.

(Baonghean.vn) - According to Reuters, US President Barack Obama and French President Francois Hollande have jointly urged Russia to focus its attack on ISIS militants in Syria after Türkiye shot down a Syrian aircraft, escalating tensions in the region.

US President Obama and the French PresidentHollande speaks at a meeting at the White House on November 24. Photo: Reuters

After Türkiye, a NATO ally, said it had shot down a Russian fighter jet near the Turkish-Syrian border for violating Turkish airspace, Presidents Obama and Hollande called on Russia and Türkiye to avoid escalating tensions between the two countries.

President Obama stated that the U.S. did not have enough information to draw conclusions about the incident, but emphasized that similar confrontations could be avoided in the future if Russia stopped attacking rebel forces opposing President Bashar al-Assad in Syria.

"This highlights an ongoing problem with Russia: it's operating very close to the Turkish border… If Russia had focused its attacks on ISIS, some of the conflicts, mistakes, or escalations would be less likely to occur," President Obama said.

In fact, Russia is supporting President Assad's government, while Western nations insist that Assad must relinquish power for the sake of peace in Syria.

On November 24, the White House announced that President Obama had spoken by phone with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan about the need to de-escalate tensions following the incident.

The US and French leaders delivered speeches at a White House press conference during the French president's visit to Washington to coordinate a military campaign against ISIS following the November 13 attacks in Paris that killed 130 people.

French President Hollande is expected to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on November 26 in Moscow for a series of talks aimed at increasing international pressure on ISIS following the Paris attacks.

"I will ask President Putin, as I have done before... that the attacks must be directed at IS, against terrorism," President Hollande said.

Phuong Thao

(According to Reuters)