U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday talked about the reports of a downed Malaysian passenger jet near the Russia- Ukraine border, the White House said.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters that Obama and Putin spoke on Thursday morning at Moscow's request about the new sanctions against Russia and near the end of the call, the leaders noted the early reports about the plane crash.

Earnest said Obama had instructed his staff to keep him updated and to contact senior Ukrainian officials about the incident.

But the spokesman said he is "not in a position to confirm" the plane crash.

A Malaysian flight with 280 passengers and 15 crew members on board crashed in Ukraine near the Russian border, the Interfax news agency reported Thursday. 

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)