Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim on Tuesday went back on an earlier offer of compensation to Russia for shooting down one of Moscow's military jets in November, media reported.

The Kremlin said Monday that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had apologized to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin over Ankara's downing of one of Moscow's military jets in Syria last year that shattered ties.

Putin has repeatedly demanded an apology from Erdogan since the November 24 incident and the latest move could help spell the end of a feud that has seen Moscow slap a raft of sanctions on Ankara.

The European Union on Friday rolled over for another year sanctions imposed to protest Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine, which the bloc deems illegal.

EU Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker warned Russia Thursday that the 28-nation bloc will only lift its sanctions if the Kremlin fully implements a Ukraine peace deal.

Russian authorities, increasingly concerned that the current recession will be followed by prolonged economic stagnation, are redoubling efforts to persuade investors that much-needed reforms will be pushed through.

Russia on Wednesday summoned France's ambassador to protest over the arrest of Russian supporters at the Euro 2016 football tournament which has been tarnished by hooligan unrest.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry warned Russia and the Syrian government on Wednesday to respect a "frayed" ceasefire, as vicious fighting south of second city Aleppo left dozens dead.

UEFA said Sunday that Russia and England could be thrown out of the European Championship finals if their fans are involved in more violence.

France on Friday called on Russia to pressure Syria to allow humanitarian aid to reach besieged areas, as the Security Council met to discuss plans for airdrops of food and medicine.

"The top priority is to get those who have influence over Damascus, starting with Russia, to strongly increase their pressure on the regime," French Ambassador Francois Delattre told reporters as he headed into the closed meeting.

Ukraine's pro-Russian eastern insurgents on Wednesday accused Kiev's soldiers of launching a new blitz near a prized but long-obliterated airport in the separatists' de facto capital of Donetsk.

The claim appears to fit with a mounting death toll reported by the pro-Western leadership in Kiev and foreign monitors from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).