SEATTLE, July 22 (Reuters) - President Barack Obama and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte agreed in a telephone call on Tuesday that Russia must face increasing costs if it continues to support violent separatists in Ukraine, the White House said in a statement.
"The president welcomed the action taken today by the European Union's Foreign Affairs Council strongly condemning the actions leading to this tragedy and preparing additional sanctions against those destabilizing Ukraine," the White House said in a statement about the call.
"The president and prime minister noted their concerns about further evidence that Russia is continuing to send weapons and fighters across the border to support the separatists, while continuing to mass its own forces," it added.
The two men also agreed that once the remains of the victims from the Malaysian flight that was shot down over Ukraine were returned to their home countries, the priority must be to make the crash site open to international investigators for a full probe.
Obama is in Seattle on a fundraising trip for Democrats. (Reporting by Jeff Mason; Editing by Sandra Maler)
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