OBAMA, PUTIN DISCUSS PLANE CRASH

President Barack Obama and President Vladimir Putin discussed the crash when they spoke Thursday morning in a call initiated by Moscow to discuss new and expanded US sanctions.

A Kremlin website published a statement late Thursday that said “the Russian leader informed the US president of the report from air traffic controllers that the Malaysian plane had crashed on Ukrainian territory, which had arrived immediately before the phone call”.

The White House said Obama was briefed on the crash. And, his press secretary Josh Earnest said, “The President has directed his team to be in close touch with senior Ukrainian officials on this matter.” Media reports are saying American airlines had been prohibited since April from flying close to that region by the US Federal Aviation Agency.