Russia accuses Turkey of aiding ISIS -Turkey President will step down if Russia can prove it

'We are not that dishonest as to buy oil from terrorists. If it is proven that we have ... done so, I will leave office.'

Tensions between Russia and Turkey seem to be coming to a head as Russian President Vladimir Putin has stepped forward to accuse Turkey of aiding ISIS.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Putin's outrageous - and currently unfounded - claims that Turkey has been helping the Islamic State transport oil across its borders have tongues wagging across political forums around the world.

According to a transcript on the Kremlin's website, Putin claimed, "We have just received additional information proving that unfortunately, large volumes of oil, industrial volumes coming from oil fields controlled by ISIS and other terrorist organizations, enter Turkey's territory.

"And we have every reason to believe that the decision to shoot down our plane was dictated by the desire to ensure the security of these oil supply routes to Turkey - to the ports where it is shipped out in tankers - while protecting the Turkmen is merely a pretext."

In response to Putin's shocking claim, President Recap Tayyip Erdogan announced he would resign should anyone provide evidence of Turkey's cooperation with the terrorist organization.

As reported by Russian news agency TASS, Erdogan said, "We are not that dishonest as to buy oil from terrorists. If it is proven that we have, in fact, done so, I will leave office. If there is any evidence, let them present it, we'll consider [it]."

Both presidents are in Paris for the United Nations summit on climate change, and though U.S. President Barack Obama was able to schedule a meeting with Putin between summit meetings, it appears Erdogan will not be as successful.

Erdogan's attempt to hold a face-to-face meeting with Putin in Paris were ignored. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists, "No meeting with Erdogan is planned. There is no discussion of such a meeting."

Interestingly, Putin told RT News, "problems to exist and they emerged a long time ago and we have been trying to resolve them in dialogue with out Turkish partners."

The Islamic State has been supporting itself best through funds accrued by the selling of oil on the black market. if there is any evidence of Turkey purchasing extremist oil, it would be damning for the entire country.

Until evidence can be produced, many are considering whether Putin's claims hold water. 

The tensions behind Russia and Turkey stem from the Russian warplane Turkey shot down. Turkey claims the plane was given ten warnings before being shot down, while Russia upholds the plane was not flying in Turkish airspace.

Senior economist at IHS Global Insight, Lilit Gevorgyan, said, "the current confrontation is a major setback for more than a decade long efforts to build commercial and energy partnership between Russia and Turkey, despite diverging political goals."

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