RUSSIA, TURKEY MEND RIFT
In November, Turkish forces shot a Russian warplane out of the sky, resulting in tensions that remained thick for the rest of the year and through 2016. That is, until today, when Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in what was the first meeting between the two leaders in a very long time. Russia’s revenge against Turkey had been swift and uncompromising. The Kremlin blocked food to Ankara, travel to and from the Middle Eastern state. Furthermore, Russian officials claimed Turkey was receiving shipments of oil from ISIS in Syria and Iraq.