As tensions increased between Russia and the West over the downing of a Russian fighter jet by Turkey, President Barack Obama stood with his NATO ally. Speaking at a joint news conference with French President Francoise Hollande, Obama said the Russian incursion into Turkey is part of a troubling pattern.

"I do think that this points to an ongoing problem with the Russian operations in the sense that they are operating very close to the Turkish border and they are going after moderate opposition that are supported not only by Turkey but by a number of countries," President Obama said.

Turkey said the Russian fighter jet was shot down after repeated warnings to leave Turkish air space. It is not the first time Turkey has warned Russian jets to stay out of Turkish air space, but it is thought to be the first downing of a Russian plane by a NATO country in more than 50 years.

While Obama said he backed Turkey, he also called for diplomacy and a de-escalation in the region.

President Hollande had been in Washington asking for support in the fight against ISIS, the group which claimed responsibility for the terrorist attacks on Paris that took place on November 13. Hollande has been calling for increased cooperation between Western nations and Russia in the fight against ISIS, a call that will become more difficult to deliver on in the wake of this incident.

Russian President Vladimir Putin called the downing of the plane a "stab in the back."