Putin, northern European leaders condemn Istanbul attack
Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent Turkey's president a telegram of condolences, denouncing the Istanbul nightclub attack.
"It is hard to imagine a more cynical crime than killing innocent people during New Year celebrations," Putin said in the message to Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Kremlin said Sunday.
"However, terrorists don't share moral values. Our common duty is to combat terrorists' aggression," Putin said.
Nordic and Baltic leaders reacted on Twitter, with Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius saying "terrorist cowards can kill, but can't win."
Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite sent her "heartfelt condolences," while Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven called the attack "awful."
In Norway, Prime Minister Erna Solberg said it was a "cowardly armed attack toward innocent civilians."
