Germany Urges Russia, Turkey to Show 'Prudence, Common Sense'

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Tuesday called on Moscow and Ankara to show "prudence and common sense" after Turkey shot down a Russian fighter jet on the Syrian border.

"This could mean that we not only experience a setback, but that the glimmer of hope which we had only just achieved is being destroyed," he said.

"I hope that prudence and common sense prevail in both capitals to enable us to continue on the path that has been started in the two Vienna talks."

Top diplomats from 17 countries, including Turkey and Russia, met in Vienna last Saturday to discuss a way out of Syria's nearly five-year conflict, which has killed more than 250,000 people. 

Steinmeier said that "much now depends on what the reactions in Moscow and Ankara look like."