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Shooting down a Russian SU-24 fighter jet near the Syrian-Turkey border, Turkey justified the action, claiming the Russian pilot strayed into Turkey’s airspace, after repeated warnings. Whatever the rationale, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan offered no apologies to an infuriated Russian President Vladimir Putin, insisting Russia was “stabbed in the back.” Making matters worse, a Russian helicopter was shot down inside Syria, though its crew was rescued safely. Complicating the picture, Turkey’s Turkmen militia, AKA the First Coastal rebel group, fired on Russia’s pilots after ejecting to safety, killing at least one pilot while the second one remains missing. Speaking at a White House press conference with French President Francois Hollande, President Barack Obama threw gasoline on the fire saying Turkey has a right to defend its airspace.

Jumping into the fray defending Syrian President Bashar al-Assad with air power Oct. 30, Russia insisted it shared the joint Western goal of degrading the Islamic State. U.S. and NATO reports indicated that the Russian air force was going after rebel groups seeking to oust al-Assad. Only after ISIS downed a Russian commercial jet over the Sinai Peninsula Oct. 31, did Putin direct air strikes at ISIS targets in Raqqa, Syria. Today’s mishap with Turkey comes at a bad time, a little over a week since ISIS terrorists lashed out in Paris Nov. 13, killing 130, injuring hundreds more. Before speaking at the White House, Hollande asked Russia for a “grand coalition” in going after ISIS terrorists. Scheduled to meet with Putin Nov. 26, Hollande now has a lot of explaining to do, seemingly excusing the Turkish shoot down of a Russian war plane near the Syrian border.

Calling the Nov. 13 terrorist attacks an “act of war,” Hollande hoped to seek Washington and Moscow step up attacks on ISIS. Downing a Russian jet and helicopter changes Putin’s thoughts of joining any Western alliance. Hollande’s tough talk about escalating its fight against ISIS lay fully exposed at the White House press conference. Asked whether or not France would join the U.S. in deploying ground troops or Special Forces to the Iraq or Syrian battlefield, Hollande said unequivocally, no. If France isn’t willing to put ground troops into the battle against ISIS, it’s no wonder the terrorist group continues to become a global menace. Since the 2014 ISIS blitzgkrieg seizing some 30% of Iraq and Syria’s sovereign land, Obama has let the world’s most deadly terror group operate with impunity. Obama’s 2014 air campaign hasn’t stopped ISIS from consolidating power in Iraq and Syria.

Obama and Hollande made clear at the press conference that they expect Putin to join their Saudi-backed mission to topple al-Assad. Putin’s made abundantly clear at the U.S. General Assembly and elsewhere that toppling al-Assad would repeat the same mistakes of Iraq and Libya, where terrorists now run wild. Neither Obama nor Hollande have a U.N. mandate for regime change in Damascus, yet talk as if it’s their right to oust al-Assad. “France will not intervene militarily on the ground,” said Hollande. “It’s for the local forces to do so,” making no sense. If Hollande really believes the Nov. 13 Paris terror attacks were an “act of war,” ruling out ground troops, as part of a wider coalition, shows a lack of commitment to defeat ISIS. Military experts on both sides of the Atlantic concede that ISIS cannot be defeated without rooting them out of captured villages, towns and cities in Iraq and Syria.

Obama and Hollande sent mixed signals to Moscow: One the one hand, join us to battle against ISIS, while, on the other hand, accept when NATO decides to attack your military. Suggesting that Turkey was within its rights to down any aircraft violating it airspace is preposterous. If a U.S. or French jet strayed into Turkey’s air space, Ankara would have ignored the incursion. Downing a Russian jet, knowing that Russia has just lost a commercial jet flying over Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, was inexcusable under any circumstances. “The allied assessments that we have are consistent with the information we have from Turkey,” NATO Secretary Gen. Jens Stoltenberg, defending Turkey’s actions. “We stand in solidarity with Turkey and support the territorial integrity of our NATO ally,” said Stoltenberg, bound torpedo whatever cooperation Hollande expected to get from Moscow.

Obama and Hollande had a perfect opportunity to condemn in the strongest possible terms Turkey’s shoot down of a Russian fighter jet. Whether or not the Russian pilot strayed into Turkey’s airspace, given Putin’s commitment to battle ISIS, Ankara’s actions were inexcusable. Defending Turkey’s actions in any way guarantees the Russia won’t be joining a NATO coalition against ISIS anytime soon. Putin’s reaction of betrayal was entirely justified, prompting strong condemnations—and an apology—from the U.S., France and NATO. When Hollande meets with Putin in Moscow Nov. 26, he’ll have a lot of explaining to do to mend fences. Turkey’s shoot down of a Russian fighter jet deserves only condemnation from the U.S. and NATO. Shooting a Russian pilot while helplessly parachuting to safety shows the same kind of barbarity seen in ISIS and other terrorist groups.