Moscow: Inappropriate for Australia, Netherlands to Issue Ultimatums Over MH17

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said it was inappropriate for Australia and the Netherlands to issue Moscow with ultimatums over compensation for relatives of people killed in the downing of flight MH17.

Russia has repeatedly provided international investigators with documentary evidence regarding the crash of MH17 in Ukraine, but they have been ignored, Sergei Lavrov stated.

"All the documentary evidence is being rejected… which we’ve repeatedly provided, including the results of field tests, which the manufacturer of the Buk complex Almaz-Antey provided to the investigators," Lavrov said.

He also noted that the information provided included primary data from Russian radars, according to which "the rocket could not take off from the point from where, as the investigation alleges, it was launched."

READ MORE: Journalist, Activist on JIT Report: Poor Evidence, Bias and Convenient Timing

The Joint Investigation Team (JIT) earlier presented the interim results of the investigation. The international team alleges that the Boeing was shot down by a Buk anti-aircraft weapon system, that belonged to the 53rd Air Defense Missile Brigade of the Russian Armed Forces from Kursk. Moscow categorically rejects these accusations.

Malaysian Airlines’ Boeing 777, flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, crashed on July 17, 2014, near Donetsk, killing all 298 aboard.

Skripal Case 'Falling Apart' 

The Skripal case is "falling apart" due to the lack of evidence of Moscow’s alleged complicity in the poisoning of the former Russian double agent in the UK town of Salisbury, yet some Western countries are seeking to use similar speculations with regard to other foreign policy issues to promote their respective anti-Moscow campaigns, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.

"A good example of this is the Skripal case, which is falling apart before our eyes due to the lack of any evidence, any confirmations. However, unfortunately, some [countries], are seeking to replicate the same scheme with regard to other cases," Lavrov said at a press conference in Minsk, noting that "a relatively small minority" of Western countries were exploiting the principle of solidarity in a bid to pressure other countries into joining their confrontational policy toward Russia.

READ MORE: Russian Ex-Undercover Agent Suspects Yulia Skripal is a 'Toy' in Hands of UK

Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found unconscious in March on a bench at a shopping center in Salisbury. The United Kingdom and its allies have accused Moscow of having orchestrated the attack with what UK experts claim was the A234 nerve agent, without presenting any proof. Over a hundred Russian diplomats have since been expelled from these countries in solidarity with London. Both Skripals have since been discharged from the hospital.

Russian authorities have strongly refuted the allegations as groundless and ordered the equivalent number of diplomats out of the country.