WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House cast the downing of two fighter jets in Ukraine on Wednesday as part of a pattern of Russian-backed separatists using Russian weapons to pose risks to aircrafts and further destabilize the conflict in the former Soviet republic.

The Ukrainian jets were downed just 20 miles south of the wreckage from the Malaysia Airlines passenger plane hit by a missile last week, suggesting the separatists have been undeterred by the international outrage over that incident. The United States has blamed the separatists for firing the missile that led to the deaths of the 298 people aboard and also pointed a finger at Russia for equipping the rebels with the technology to bring down a plane.