Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs

US President Barack Obama is pushing for a 'de-escalation' of a furious war of words over Turkey's downing of a Russian warplane, a White House official says.Obama called on Monday for an easing of inflamed tensions between the countries in a closed-door meeting with Russia's Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of a climate summit in Paris, the official said.    Read and listen to  Obama calls for calm in Russia-Turkey feud..