Kremlin Says Still Waiting For Turkey To Apologize

The Kremlin says it is still waiting for Turkey to apologize for shooting down a Russian warplane near the Syrian border last year and to pay compensation for the incident.

Speaking to reporters in Moscow on June 1, spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia regrets that Turkey has not taken the necessary steps to mend ties damaged by the incident.

Peskov comments come a day after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he did not understand what kind of a "first step" Moscow expected from Ankara.

Erdogan said that he was concerned at how relations had been sacrificed over what he described as a "pilot error."

Ankara refuses to apologize for the November 2015 incident, saying the aircraft had strayed into Turkish airspace, something Moscow denies.

Russia has imposed sanctions on Turkey and trade between the two countries plummeted.

Based on reporting by Reuters and Interfax