President Donald Trump called Russian President Vladimir Putin Monday to express condolences over a commercial airliner crash which killed all 71 passengers on board.
“President Donald J. Trump spoke today with President Vladimir Putin of Russia to express his condolences regarding the crash of Saratov Airlines Flight 703 on February 11. President Trump said that the United States was standing by to assist Russian authorities in their investigation,” the White House announced in a readout of the call.
The White House also released a late night statement on the crash Sunday: “We send our condolences to the families of those who lost their lives and to the people of Russia.”
The Russian airplane crash occurred near Moscow and happened just minutes after take-off. Investigators have yet to point to any one particular reason behind the crash, although eyewitnesses said the jet was clearly on fire while it rapidly descended to the ground.
Trump also spoke with Putin about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the situation in North Korea.