President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said directly on Sunday that the Azerbaijan Airlines plane that fell out of the air on Christmas Day was shot down from Russia, Azerbaijan’s state television reported.
In the past, the speeches of Azerbaijan’s representatives have been more cautious. Aliyev accused Russia of concealing the cause of the plane crash.
Shortly after the accusation, Putin and Aliyev talked on the phone, the Kremlin announced.
President of Russia Vladimir Putin and Aliyev also talked on the phone on Saturday. Putin apologized for the plane crash, but avoided taking responsibility.
38 of the plane’s 67 passengers died in the crash. EU foreign policy representative Kaja Kallas on Saturday called for a quick, impartial investigation into the plane crash.
The story is updated.
Sources: AFP, Reuters