HILLARY CLINTON: It's Probably Time 'To Put Putin On Notice'
"Who could have have shot this down? Who had the equipment - it's obviously an anti-aircraft missile? Who could have had the expertise to do that?" said Clinton, the likely Democratic presidential front-runner in 2016, said. "There does seem to be some growing awareness that it probably had to be Russian insurgents."
If pro-Russian separatists, who are battling the Ukrainian government, did indeed shoot down the plane, Clinton said the Russian government would be certainly linked to the crash.
"If there is evidence pointing in that direction, the equipment had to have come from Russia. What more the Russians may or may not have done, we don't know," she said.
Clinton, who formerly served in the Obama administration as secretary of state, said current United States sanctions against Russia were effective. On the other hand, she said European countries will need to become more aggressive in their own efforts to persuade Russian President Vladimir Putin to back down.
"If there is evidence linking Russia to this, that should inspire the Europeans to do much more on three counts. One, toughen their own sanctions - make it very clear there has to be a price to pay. Number two, immediately accelerate efforts and announce they are doing so to find alternatives to Gazprom. Russia has not diversified its economy. It is still largely dependent upon natural resources, principally gas and oil. And thirdly do more in concert with us to support the Ukrainians," she said. "Put Putin on notice that he has gone too far and we are not going to stand idly by."
Watch the segment below.