Kremlin Says It Will Take Time to Mend Ties With Turkey

FILE - In this file photo taken on Monday, Nov. 16, 2015, Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan talk to each other as they pose for the media before their talks during the G-20 Summit in Antalya,Turkey.The spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday it will take time to mend ties with Turkey after the November downing of a Russian military jet. AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, File

MOSCOW — The spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday it will take time to mend ties with Turkey after the November downing of a Russian military jet.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a letter of formal apology to Putin on Monday, seven months after Turkey shot down the Russian jet on a mission in Syria, triggering a slew of Russian sanctions that have dealt a severe blow to the Turkish economy.

Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Tuesday called the apology “a very important” step but added that the ties between the two countries would not go back to where they were overnight.

“Together we will have to take more than one step to meet each other,” Peskov said. “One shouldn’t think that everything will be mended overnight. We will keep up our work in that direction.”

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses people gathered for a traditional "Iftar" Muslim feast at his palace in Ankara, Turkey, Monday, June 27, 2016. Murat Cetinmuhurdar, Presidential Press Service, Pool via AP