Putin slams UN agency's ruling on MH-17 plane crash, offers help in probe

The UN aviation agency held Russia responsible for the July 2014 crash of Malaysian airliner MH17 over Ukraine that killed all 298 people on board.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday criticised the UN aviation agency's ruling that Moscow was responsible for the July 2014 crash of Malaysian airliner MH17 over Ukraine, and called for a politically influence-free, thorough investigation into the matter.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) told Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim that Moscow was ready for a "more credible or authoritative" probe into the MH17 crash.(Reuters)

He held a meeting with Malaysian prime minister Anwar Ibrahim in Moscow, wherein the President called for a “thorough and comprehensive investigation that was free from political influence.” According to Ibrahim, the Kremlin was prepared to engage with organisations it deemed impartial.

The Montreal-based International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), in a ruling this week, held Russia responsible for the downing of the Malaysia Airlines aircraft in 2014 that killed all 298 people on board.

The agency said that the claims brought by the Netherlands and Australia, nations with the most fatalities in the tragedy, were "well-founded in fact and law". In a statement on Monday, it said, "The Russian Federation failed to uphold its obligations under international air law in the 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17."

Russia says UN ruling ‘not legitimate’

Rejecting the ruling, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, "Our position is well known. You know that Russia was not a country that took part in the investigation of this incident, so we do not accept any biased conclusions."

The Russian foreign ministry said that the country will not accept the council's decision as "it is not legitimate", a Reuters report said.

On July 17, 2014, a Boeing 777 of Malaysia Airlines, en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur with 298 people on board, was shot down near Shakhtarsk town in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region.

Of the 298, 189 passengers were of Dutch nationality, around 100 were delegates enroute to Melbourne via Kuala Lumpur.

The then-Ukrainian president, Petro Poroshenko, termed the plane crash a "terrorist act".

Following the UN agency's decision, Russia has said that the "main guilty party" of the incident was the Ukrainian government in Kyiv, which at the time was fighting Russian-funded separatists in eastern Donbas regions.

Additionally, the Malaysian PM said that Putin also denied claims of Russia being reluctant to cooperate in the investigation, adding that Moscow was ready for a "more credible or authoritative" probe.

Anwar told reporters in Moscow that in the backdrop of the ICAO council's ruling, it was a “timely opportunity to seek clarification” from the Russian government.

“Malaysia continues to pursue truth and justice through an independent and fair process, with the cooperation of all relevant parties,” he said.

The Malaysian PM further said that his country remains dedicated to "ensuring accountability and a just resolution for the victims and their families who continue to bear the weight of this tragedy".

Amid all this, Malaysian Airlines also took a heavy hit, considering two major losses in the same year, the downing of MH17 over Ukraine and the disappearance of MH370. The airlines' share price slumped, which eventually led to the company being delisted from the Kuala Lumpur stock exchange.

Malaysia Airlines' parent company, Malaysia Aviation Group, is now owned by a wealth fund named Khazanah Nasional Bhd.

(with inputs from agencies)