Putin Says Turkey's Downing of Warplane a 'Stab in the Back'

Russian President Vladimir Putin has responded to the recent downing of a Russian airplane by Turkish officials, calling it a "stab in the back."

A Russian Su-24 jet was reportedly downed Tuesday after traveling into Turkish airspace while carrying out airstrikes in northwest Syria.

Turkey claims that it reportedly warned the warplane to leaves it airspace before striking it with an F16 rocket.

President Putin called the downing of a warplane a "stab in the back" by the Middle Eastern country.

"Today's losses is connected with a blow, that was delivered as a stab in the back by the accomplices of terrorists. I cannot qualify what happened today in any other way," Putin said in a statement on Tuesday.

U.S. President Obama said that the downing of the Russian warplane points to a larger issue regarding Russia's strategy in the Middle East.

"I do think that this points to an ongoing problem with the Russian operations in the sense that they are operating very close to the Turkish border and they are going after moderate opposition that are supported not only by Turkey but by a number of countries," Obama said during a press conference on Tuesday. 

The president added that while information regarding the plane's downing is still emerging, he believes Turkey has the "right to defend its territory and its airspace."

Turkey has also responded to the recent incident, with Serdar Kilic, the country's ambassador to the U.S., tweeting: "Understand this: Turkey is a country whose warnings should be taken seriously and listened to. Don't test Turkey's patience. Try to win its friendship."