Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry calls on Russia to admit responsibility for supply of weapons used to down MH17

20.06.2019 10:14

Ukrinform

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine calls on Russia to admit its responsibility for the supply of weapons to the militants in Donbas, which were used to down flight MH17, and to cooperate with the investigation.

This is stated in the commentary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the unveiled results of the JIT’s investigation into the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17.

“The results of the investigation into the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, which were made public by the Joint Investigation Team on June 19, are crucial as they give a definite answer to the following questions: where were the deadly weapons transported to the territory of Ukraine from and who organized this operation... We call on the Russian Federation to admit its responsibility for the supply of weapons and to cooperate with the investigation as stipulated in the UN Security Council Resolution 2166 of July 17, 2014,” the Foreign Ministry states.

As noted, the investigation will have to clarify the role of so-called "Prime Minister of Crimea" Sergey Aksyonov and other persons in organizing the crime as well as to name its direct perpetrators - the members of the BUK missile system crew. The trial in the case of the main suspects will begin on March 9, 2020 in the national court of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

In conclusion, the Foreign Ministry drew attention to the fact that the criminal prosecution of the suspects in organization and commission of MH17 crash is also inextricably linked to the responsibility of Russia as a state for its gross violation of a number of international legal norms.

"These norms include the provision of the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism, which is the subject of Ukraine v. Russia case at the International Court of Justice," the statement reads.