WASHINGTON, August 7 (RIA Novosti) - The United States is against Russia sending its peacekeepers to Ukraine to secure the Malaysian Boeing 777 crash site, White House press secretary Josh Earnest said Thursday at a press briefing.
“We are concerned about Russian statements indicating that they may send what they describe as peace keepers to help secure the crash site,” Earnest said.
“It is deeply troubling to hear any discussion of Russian peacekeepers being sent to Ukrainian territory. These statements are destabilizing and unhelpful, and Russia should anticipate that any such move would be met with condemnation and result in further economic cost and political isolation,” the White House press secretary added.
Earnest said that the US was also concerned about the “the ongoing troops buildup on the Russian side of the border,” about “Russia’s continuing support to the separatists,” as well as that “Russian forces appear to continue shelling Ukrainian positions from inside Russia.”
The West accused Russia of meddling in Ukraine’s internal affairs and imposed several rounds of sanctions against Moscow. Moscow has repeatedly called the sanctions as counterproductive measures and denied any involvement in the Ukrainian conflict, while calling on the sides of the Ukrainian conflict to launch a comprehensive dialogue.
In July, Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur crashed in eastern Ukraine killing all the 298 people on board, including 85 children. Kiev authorities and independence supporters have been trading blame for the downing of the plane, with independence supporters insisting they lacked the technology to shoot down a target flying at such a height. The US continues to place the blame on Russia who allegedly provided weapons to the self-defense forces.
