Stevan Gajic, a researcher at the Institute of European Studies in Belgrade, told Sputnik that from the beginning the investigation into the MH17 crash was “overly politicized.”
"The problem is that the investigation was concluded before it ever started. All of the Western mainstream media outlets were suggesting from the beginning that Russia and Putin personally were behind this. So I’m not surprised about the timing, since the World Football Cup will start in weeks from now, and I think that, as it was the case with Sochi, a lot of bad PR and Russophobic propaganda will appear," Gajic said.
"It reminds me of a recent statement by Emmauel Macron, the president of France, who said that he has proof that – it is another case, but it is very indicative of the culture of lies within this propaganda framework – Assad used chemical weapons in Eastern Ghouta, but then he didn’t want to show this proof. The same case is here," he explained.
According to Gajic, while the EU can impose more sanctions against Russia over this affair, European states now tend to “behave rationally” and put their economic interests ahead of Brussels’ agenda.
READ MORE: Investigation, Findings, Inconsistencies: Timeline of MH17 Disaster
Earlier on May 24 the Joint Investigation Committee claimed it uncovered hard evidence confirming that the missile system that had shot down MH17 over East Ukraine in 2014 was operated by the Russian military.
Dutch Chief Prosecutor Fred Westerbeke stated, however, that the investigation team would not disclose the evidence.
The views and opinions expressed by Stevan Gajic are those of the speaker and do not necessarily reflect those of Sputnik.