President Vladimir Putin was both cordial and coarse in his year-end news conference Thursday, saying the U.S. and Russia have narrowed their differences on Syria and share the same view of how to settle the conflict. He reserved his crudest language for Turkey, suggesting that some leaders of the NATO alliance may have wanted to "lick the Americans in some of their private parts" by shooting down a Russian warplane on the Syrian border. That miscalculation by Turkey was now hurting its own interests, Putin said at his marathon meeting with Russian and foreign journalists that lasted more than three hours. Putin said the Russian air campaign in Syria, which began Sept. 30, will continue until a political process begins, adding that Moscow would back the latest U.S. proposals for a peace process in the civil war. Commenting on relations with Washington, Putin said that Russia backs a U.S.-drafted U.N. Security Council resolution on settling the crisis. The plan was presented by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry during his visit to Moscow earlier this week. "In general, it suits us," Putin said. "I believe that the Syrian authorities should be OK with it, too." He added that while the Syrian government "may not like some of it ... concessions must be made by both sides" to end the conflict. The Russian plan for settling the conflict "strangely as it may seem, coincides with the U.S. vision in its key aspects: joint work on a constitution, creation of instruments of control over future early elections, holding the vote and recognizing its results on the basis of that political process," Putin said. "We will help settle this crisis in every possible way, and we will try to find solutions acceptable for all parties," he said. At the same time, he reaffirmed Russia's stance on the key issue dividing Russia and the West, the fate of Syrian President Bashar Assad, saying the Syrians must determine who rules them.Putin said he was unsure whether to keep a permanent base in Syria, because Russia's new sea- and air-launched cruise missiles used recently in the country have given Moscow enough punch to strike from afar. Addressing strained relations with Turkey, Putin said "it's practically impossible" to overcome tensions with Ankara under its current leaders after it shot down a Russian bomber. Putin said that Russia was particularly annoyed because instead of apologizing over what he called Turkey's "hostile" action, the country turned to NATO for help. The Russian leader said he had previously agreed to accommodate Turkey's concerns regarding Syria, adding that the Turkish leadership had never asked Russia to refrain from striking that specific area. "Couldn't they just make a call or warn the military via the communications channels that existed and say: ‘Look ... there are our interests here, so please don't hit it'?" Putin said. "Did they think that we will run away? Russia isn't that kind of a country," he said. "We only have increased our presence there." Russia has sent more warplanes to a base in Syria and deployed long-range S-400 air defense missile systems there, he added, putting an end to what he called regular incursions by Turkish jets in Syrian airspace. "Turkey had constantly violated Syria's airspace, but let them try to fly over there now," he added, menacingly. "Someone in the Turkish leadership may have decided to lick the Americans in some of their private parts" in the hope that Washington would turn a blind eye to Turkey's deployment of additional troops to Iraq if they down a Russian plane, Putin said. "I don't know if the Americans wanted it or not." But Kerry's visit to Moscow has shown that "the American side is ready to move toward joint settlement of the issues that can only be settled together." "We are ready and we want to develop our ties with the United States," he said. "We are open, and we will work with any president the American people will vote for." Asked about Donald Trump, Putin called the contender the "absolute leader" in the race, and a "bright and talented man."
