Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday condemned the killing of Russia's ambassador to Ankara as a "provocation" aimed at ruining improving relations.

"We know that this is a provocation aimed at destroying the process of normalisation in relations between Turkey and Russia," Erdogan said in televised comments. Moscow and Ankara agreed this summer to normalise ties after a crisis sparked by the shooting down last year by Turkey of a Russian plane over Syria.