Accessibility links

Breaking News

U.S. Vice President Says Malaysian Plane 'Apparently Shot Down'


 U.S. Vice President Joe Biden
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden has said that the Malaysian Airlines flight which crashed in Ukraine near the Russian border was "apparently shot down" and "blown out of the sky."

Biden, speaking at a conference in Detroit on July 17, said the Malaysian liner with 295 people on board, "Apparently had been shot down. Shot down. Not an accident. Blown out of the sky."

The remarks were more specific than President Barack Obama's comments earlier in the day, who said that the crash "looks like it may be a terrible tragedy."

Separately, unnamed U.S. officials said intelligence analysts "strongly believe" a surface-to-air missile downed the plane, but added that the origin of the missile was unclear.

  • 16x9 Image

    RFE/RL

    RFE/RL journalists report the news in 27 languages in 23 countries where a free press is banned by the government or not fully established. We provide what many people cannot get locally: uncensored news, responsible discussion, and open debate.

RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.

If you are in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine and hold a Russian passport or are a stateless person residing permanently in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine, please note that you could face fines or imprisonment for sharing, liking, commenting on, or saving our content, or for contacting us.

To find out more, click here.

XS
SM
MD
LG