determine what happened and why. and as a country, our thoughts and prayers are with all of the families of the passengers, wherever they call home. >> reporter: families of the victims gathered at amsterdam's international airport. and across the world, in kuala lumpur, the flight's final destination. around the world, thousands mourn and pay tribute to the 298 souls lost. i'm martha raddatz, in washington. >> even before this crash, the day before, in fact, president obama came out publicly and announced sanctions against russia, including eight defense firms. so, it's fascinating this is a region the white house has been watching closely. what i could not believe. there is a poll in russia. president putin's approval rating, nearly 90%. >> even as the russian economy is really taking a hit from these sanctions, increased sanctions, the white house, being very careful to point the finger at russia about this incident.