On 9 August 2016 , the countries ′ leaders held a meeting in St Petersburg , Russia , which was described by a commentator as a ″ clear-the-air summit ″ — the first time the pair met since they fallout over the Russian fighter jet downing by the Turkish air force as well as Erdoğan ’s first trip abroad since the failed coup attempt in Turkey . The BBC commented that the summit , at which Erdoğan thanked Putin for his swift support during the coup attempt , ″ unnerved the West ″ . Following the assassination of Russian ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov on 19 December 2016 , the countries ′ leaders sought to contain any possible damage to relations between the two countries . In December 2016 , the two countries initiated the Astana peace talks on Syria peace settlement , subsequently , along with Iran , agreeing to create de-escalation zones in Syria
assassination
Assassination of Andrei Karlov
Russia–Turkey relations