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Analysis: Russians were warned not to violate Turkish airpace

Nick Burns, former National Security Council Director for Russian Affairs, discusses what happens now in the wake of Turkey's shootdown of a Russian fighter jet
Analysis of Russian plane shootdown 02:12

The head of NATO is calling for calm after Turkey shot down a Russian fighter jet, killing at least one of the two pilots. It is the first time the North Atlantic Alliance has downed a Russian or Soviet military plane since the Cold War days of the 1950s.

Global conflict feared after downing of Russian jet 04:57

Russian President Putin insists the plane was in Syrian airspace, but the Turks put out a radar image which they say shows the path the plane took as it briefly entered Turkey. After 10 warnings without a response, a Turkish fighter jet shot it down.

In the video above, Scott Pelley discusses the ramifications of the shoot down with Ambassador Nick Burns. Burns is a career American diplomat, former National Security Council Director for Russian affairs and former U.S. Representative to NATO. He now teaches diplomacy at Harvard.

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Ambassador Nicholas Burns CBS News

"Every nation has a right to protect its own borders," said Burns. "It was a gross violation of international law for the Russians to even fly close to that border, but to cross it? That's a red line that can't be crossed," he continued.

Ambassador Burns also said deescalation the situation is important in order to continue the united fight against ISIS.

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