Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has rejected the idea of sending thousands of ground troops to fight IS, saying the move would only hand the militant group a recruitment tool that could boost its ranks, Reuters reports.
Clinton also said that it was no longer possible to militarily remove Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Russia will still import nuts, milk, dairy products and fish from Turkey, according to Russian media reports.
Turkish Fruit Imports Banned From January 1
Russia's NTV reports that imports of Turkish fruits, vegetables and poultry are to be banned from January 1. A full list of the banned goods includes table salt.
The United Nations has condemned an air strike that hit a water treatment facility in Aleppo last week.
Hanaa Singer, UNICEF's representative in Syria, said that the strike on the al-Khafsa water plant caused "severe damage and cut off piped water supplies on which approximately 3.5 million people depend."
More than 1.4 people in rural Aleppo are still suffering disruptions to their supply, Singer said.
"In Syria, the rules of war, including those meant to protect vital civilian infrastructure, continue to be broken on a daily basis. The air-strike which reportedly hit al-Khafseh water treatment plant in the northern city of Aleppo last Thursday is a particularly alarming example," Singer said.
Singer did not say who was responsible for the air strike that hit the al-Khafseh facility, which is in a government-controlled area. Syrian state media have blamed the U.S.-led coalition for the strike.
Shallots, Broccoli & Peaches Among Turkish Goods Banned By Russia
Pro-Kremlin news site RIA Novosti has more details about the goods Russia is banning from being imported from Turkey.
The list includes onions, shallots, cauliflower, broccoli, cucumbers, gherkins and strawberries as well as the carcasses and offal of chickens and turkeys.
Citrus fruits are also on the banned list, as are grapes, apples, pears, apricots, peaches, nectarines, plums and sloes.
Russia's Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has signed a resolution regarding the implementation of special economic measures against Turkey, the Kremlin says.
"Russian Prime Minister D. A. Medvedev has signed a resolution, Regarding Measures for Implementing the Decree of the President of Russia, "Regarding Measures To Safeguard Russia's National Security From Criminal And Other Illegal Activities And Regarding The Implementation Of Special Economic Measures In Relation To The Turkish Republic," the announcement said.
Russia is implementing various economic measures against Turkey in the wake of the downing of a Russian Su-24 war plane near the Syrian border last week.
U.S. President Barack Obama says he believes Russia will ultimately recognize that IS poses a bigger threat to Russia than opposition groups fighting Syrian President Bashar Assad.
Speaking at a news conference in Paris, Obama said that he did not expect Russia to change its course overnight and stop targeting opposition groups with air strikes, but that there could be a shift over the coming months.
Lord Dannatt, the former head of the British Army has said that air strikes in Syria are not enough to defeat IS and the situation can "only be resolved on the ground."
Dannatt supports a move by the UK government for Britain to extend its air strikes against IS to Syria.
Some breaking news from Syria:
The Syrian government has brokered a deal with rebels in al-Waer, the last rebel-held district in the central city of Homs, according to which the rebels will leave the district, AFP is reporting.
Russia is continuing with its push to accuse Turkey of purchasing oil from IS militants.
The Arabic service of pro-Kremlin Sputnik News reports that it spoke to a commander in the Free Syrian Army, Brig. Gen. Hussam Alawak, who claimed to have pictures of contracts signed by Turkey to purchase oil from the IS group.
But Alawak does not appear to have shared the pictures of Turkish deals with IS over oil with Sputnik.
There is an inactive Twitter account belonging to an individual calling himself Hussam Alawak who claims to be a dissident Syrian Army officer who opposes Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and who defected before the Arab Spring uprising.
The Canadian Press interviewed Alawak in November 2014, referring to him as heading up intelligence for the Free Officers Movement. In that interview, Alawak said that U.S.-led air strikes would not dislodge IS and may encourage recruitment.
Alawak has spoken to pro-Kremlin media before, giving an interview to Russia Today in October claiming that a number of FSA officers had joined the IS group "because of ideology."