This Article is From Jul 17, 2014

Malaysian Airlines MH17 Crash: Obama Talks to Putin, Asks Aides for Plane Reports

Malaysian Airlines MH17 Crash: Obama Talks to Putin, Asks Aides for Plane Reports
Washington: US President Barack Obama is asking his advisers to keep him updated on reports of a plane shot down over Ukraine. But the White House says it cannot confirm the reports.

White House press secretary Josh Earnest told reporters on Thursday that Obama spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin before leaving on a trip to Delaware and New York. But Earnest could not say whether it was before or after Obama was aware of reports that the plane was shot down.

An adviser to Ukraine's interior minister says a passenger plane carrying 295 people was shot down near the Russian border. Malaysian Airlines said it lost contact with one of its flights over Ukrainian airspace.

Earnest says Putin requested the call to discuss new sanctions imposed on Russia on Wednesday.

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