Putin calls for broad international anti-terror front

Russian President Vladimir Putin called Thursday for "one powerful fist" to fight terrorism, hinted at more sanctions against Turkey and accused Western powers of creating "a zone of chaos."

Putin didn't address efforts to start a peace process in Syria in his speech, focusing on the need to pool global efforts in the fight against terrorism following the attacks in Paris and the downing of a Russian passenger plane in Egypt.

Moscow deployed long-range air defense missile systems to its base in Syria 50 kilometers (30 miles) south of the border with Turkey and slammed an array of economic sanctions on Turkey, including a ban on imports of fruit and vegetables and the sales of tour packages.

Moscow has said that its warplanes have been targeting terrorist groups near Syria's border with Turkey, while Ankara has said the Russian raids have been aimed at moderate militant groups made of ethnic Turks who oppose Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime.

Following Monday's meeting with President Barack Obama on the sidelines of a climate summit in Paris, Putin said they have a shared understanding on how to move toward a political settlement in Syria and discussed efforts to compile a list of extremist groups and another one of members of legitimate political opposition.

Putin said in his speech that Russia's air campaign in Syria, which started on Sept. 30, is intended to fend off a terror threat to Russia posed by militant groups in Syria that include people from Russia.

Speaking at a separate meeting with Russian military officers awarded with medals for their action in Syria, Putin said that “positive things have happened there thanks to you and your comrades, who have been working in the air, and, in fact, have been leading the Syrian military units.”

Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the president’s statement didn’t mean that Russian military officers have been put in charge of some Syrian army