AP
Obama's statement is likely to ratchet up pressure on Russia and President Vladimir Putin. In a late-night statement on Thursday, White House press secretary Josh Earnest said the shooting down of the plane happened in the "context" of Russia fueling support for pro-Russian separatists in eastern regions of Ukraine. And Friday morning, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Samantha Power said Russia "must end this war."
The Obama administration believes the plane was shot down by a surface-to-air missile that was fired from separatist-held territory. Power said Friday that if pro-Russian separatists are responsible for shooting down the plane, the U.S. could not rule out that Russian personnel offered technical assistance.
Obama briefly addressed the crash on Thursday during remarks on infrastructure in Wilmington, Delaware, saying it looked like it "may be a terrible tragedy."
This post will be updated when Obama speaks.