Obama: "Time and again, Russia has refused to take the concrete steps necessary to de-escalate the situation"
— Miriam Elder (@MiriamElder) July 18, 2014
Our thoughts today are with the family and friends of our Amnesty colleague Tessa, killed in the tragic #MH17 crash. pic.twitter.com/1KiCCdn26q
— Maxim Tucker (@MaxRTucker) July 18, 2014
The one confirmed US casualty on Flight #MH17 is Quinn Lucas Schansman, a male Dutch-US citizen
— Ali Weinberg (@AliABCNews) July 18, 2014
RFE/RL's multimedia department has issued this video of U.S. President Barack Obama commenting in Washington on the Malaysia Airlines crash in Ukraine:
Here's our news desk's wrap on President Obama's comments in Washington:
U.S. President Barack Obama says evidence indicates that a Malaysian airliner was shot down by a surface-to-air missile launched from an area controlled by Russian-backed separatists in Ukraine.
Speaking in Washington today, he also said the separatists have received a steady flow of arms from Russia, including antiaircraft weapons.
Obama said Ukraine, Russia, and pro-Russian separatists must adhere to an immediate ceasefire and not interfere with an international investigation into causes of the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17.
He also said the "eyes of the world are on eastern Ukraine; We're going to make sure that truth gets out".
The U.S. president said that time and time again Russia has refused to take concrete steps necessary to de-escalate the crisis in eastern Ukraine, and that Russia has continued to violate Ukrainian sovereignty and to support violent separatists.
Our news desk has more info on reports that the OSCE monitoring team are being denied access to parts of the MH17 crash site:
Pro-Russian separatists have prevented monitors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) from fully inspecting the site where a Malaysia Airlines jet crashed.
The Swiss ambassador to the OSCE, whose country holds the organization's current chairmanship, said in Vienna today that the monitors "did not have the freedom of movement they need."
Thomas Greminger said the observers would try again to gain access tomorrow.
The dpa news agency quotes a source close to the OSCE as saying shots were fired in the vicinity but not at a group of 17 monitors.
The OSCE said earlier that about 30 observers and experts arrived by helicopter at the crash site on July 18 after separatists announced they would allow international investigators into the area, which they control.
(dpa, Reuters)
Seeing evidence already of Russian businesses putting new projects on hold after last night's tragedy. A line has been crossed
— William Rice (@William_Rice2) July 18, 2014
Russia-#Ukraine blame game only fueled by passenger jet crash my take for @dpa_intl http://t.co/VaxBKHLbWp
— Nikolaus von Twickel (@niktwick) July 18, 2014
RFE/RL's information unit has produced this interactive map, showing a number of recent incidents involving aircraft over Ukraine's volatile eastern region:
RFE/RL's news desk has issued this item on what could be a very interesting development in the separatist ranks:
Denis Pushilin, one of the more visible figures in the pro-Russian separatist movement in eastern Ukraine, has resigned, reports say.
Pushilin was the self-styled Chairman of the Supreme Council of the self-declared Donetsk People's Republic.
Pushilin's deputy, Vladimir Makovich, said on July 18 that Pushilin had sent a letter addressed to him in which he announced he was stepping down from his post.
"Denis is now in Moscow," Makovich said.
The reasons for Pushilin's resignation were not clear.
It came just after he was quoted as saying that his group is willing grant the international community access to the wreckage of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17, which crashed in the area on July 17.
Earlier in July, Pushilin had criticized Russia for not coming to the separatists' aid when Kyiv stepped up its military operation against the separatists.
(Interfax, ITAR-TASS, washingtonpost.com)