Putin says MH17 tribunal would be counterproductive

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that establishing an international tribunal to prosecute those behind the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over rebel-held east Ukraine would be counterproductive. He made his comments in a telephone conversation with Prime Minister Mark Rutte of the Netherlands, whose citizens made up the majority of the 298 people killed in the July 17 disaster last year. The Netherlands is working with Malaysia, Australia, Belgium, and Ukraine on the creation of an international tribunal for MH17.

Vladimir Putin in detail explained the Russian position regarding the premature and counterproductive nature of an initiative by a number of countries…to establish an international tribunal to criminally prosecute individuals responsible for the destruction of the Malaysian airliner.

The Kremlin said

A draft UN resolution, obtained by AFP, calls for establishing the tribunal under Chapter 7 of the UN charter, which means that the court’s efforts to prosecute those responsible could be enforced by sanctions. Investigators from the Netherlands are leading an international probe into the downing of the Amsterdam-Kuala Lumpur flight and are expected to release a final report in early October. Ukraine and many in the West have accused pro-Russian separatists of shooting down the plane, saying they may have used a surface-to-air missile supplied by Russia.

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