Kiev responsible for Malaysia plane deaths: Putin
The Unhived Mind
Kiev responsible for Malaysia plane deaths: Putin
Fri Jul 18, 2014 5:52AM GMT
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2014/07/18/371763/putin-blames-ukraine-for-plane-crash/
Russian President Vladimir Putin has held Ukrainian authorities responsible for the crash of a Malaysian passenger plane in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region.
The Boeing plane, which was carrying 298 people, was en route from the Dutch capital, Amsterdam, to Kuala Lumpur on Thursday when it crashed.
In televised comments on Friday, Putin said the government of the territory in which the tragedy had happened bears responsibility for it. The Russian leader said the incident would not have occurred if Kiev had not resumed its military operation against the pro-Russian forces in the country’s east.
“This tragedy would not have happened if there had been peace on that land or, in any case, if military operations in southeastern Ukraine had not been renewed,” Putin said.
He also said he has urged Russian military officials to provide necessary assistance in the investigation of what he described as a criminal act.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has said a “terrorist attack” caused the passenger plane to crash in eastern Ukraine.
Pro-Russians in eastern Ukraine have accused Kiev of shooting down the plane. The self-proclaimed Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR) said in a statement that witnesses watching the flight of the Boeing 777 passenger plane saw it being attacked by a battle plane of the Ukrainian forces.
They have also proposed a three-day ceasefire in eastern Ukraine to allow for recovery work at the site of the downed airliner.
In a separate development, several leading European airlines have announced plans to route planes away from the area. The European air traffic regulator, Eurocontrol, has announced the closure of eastern Ukrainian airspace.
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