White House Says Plane Crash In New York Will Not Affect Vladimir Putin's Visit To US

A plane crash that occurred on Monday in New York will not affect a visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin to the US, a high-ranking member of the American administration told journalists in Washington. According to him, the US attaches "tremendous importance to the visit and it will go ahead as planned". As the White House spokesman noted, the US "appreciates highly Russia's assistance in the fight against terrorism and considers that this is creating fresh opportunities for dialogue between the two countries in the course of the upcoming visit". He added that the White House does not yet have information on the causes of the plane's crash. "All circumstances are now being looked into," the official spokesman stressed.