US President Barack Obama and French President Francois Hollande have pressed Russia to focus its attacks in Syria on Islamic State militants after Turkey heightened tensions in the region by downing a Russian plane.
Obama and Hollande also urged Russia and Turkey not to let the situation escalate after Turkey, a NATO ally, said it shot down a Russian warplane near the Turkish-Syrian border after it repeatedly violated Turkish air space.
Obama said the US did not have enough information yet to form conclusions about the incident, but added similar confrontations could be avoided if Russia stopped attacking "moderate" Syrian rebels who are battling forces loyal to the government of President Bashar al-Assad.
"This points to an ongoing problem with the Russian operations in the sense that they are operating very close to a Turkish border and they are going after moderate opposition that are supported by not only Turkey but a wide range of countries," Obama said on Tuesday.
If Russia directs its energies toward IS forces, "some of those conflicts or potentials for mistakes or escalation are less likely to occur", Obama said.
Russia is supporting Assad's government. Western nations insist Assad needs to step down for peace to take hold in Syria.
A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters the US believed the Russian jet was hit inside Syrian air space after a brief incursion into Turkish air space. The assessment was based on heat observed from the jet, the official said.
Turkey's downing of the warplane is the most serious incident involving Russian forces since they entered the conflict in support of Assad.
Russia condemned the Turkish action, vowing severe consequences.
A furious President Vladimir Putin accused NATO-member Turkey of "a stab in the back".
Obama and Hollande joined UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in warning against any escalation.
In a call, Obama and Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan "agreed on the importance of de-escalating the situation and pursuing arrangements to ensure that such incidents do not happen again", the White House said.
The US military has backed up Turkey's claim that Turkish pilots warned the Russian jet 10 times - but failed to get a response - before shooting it down.
Obama expressed "US and NATO support for Turkey's right to defend its sovereignty", the White House statement added.
But he also appealed to Russia to engage at the side of the 65 countries battling IS in Syria.
"Given Russia's military capabilities and the influence they have on the Assad regime, them co-operating would be enormously helpful in bringing about resolution of the civil war in Syria," Obama said.
"If and when they do, it will make it easier for us to go after ISIL."
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