World

Germany Expects Constructive Participation in MH17 Probe From All Countries Ahead of Trial

BERLIN (Sputnik) - The Malaysian plane was shot down at the height of a conflict between Ukrainian government troops and a pro-independence militia in 2014. All 298 aboard the plane died.
Sputnik

The German Foreign Office issued a statement on Sunday on the upcoming trial in the MH17 airliner crash in Ukraine, urging all countries to help the Dutch-led investigation team move forward with the probe.

"Germany has supported the work of the joint investigation team from the outset... All countries are called on to play a constructive role in further investigations," its spokesperson said in a statement.

Germany said it welcomed the opening of the trial, set for Monday, saying it would be an important step toward clarifying the terrible event.

The joint investigation team last summer charged three Russians and a Ukrainian rebel commander with a role in the air disaster, saying they were responsible for delivering a Buk missile used to shoot the plane.

Russia rejected the claim as baseless and argued that the missile belonged to Ukrainian troops. President Vladimir Putin accused investigators of shutting his country out of the inquiry and warned that it would not accept their findings unless it was fully involved in the process.

Discuss