Putin Calls International Court for MH17 'Untimely'

While Western officials have supported the establishment of an international court to investigate and prosecute those involved in the downing of the Malaysian passenger plane over Ukraine, the President of Russia described it as 'untimely.' On Friday, July 26, British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond expressed support for the request to establish a court to prosecute those responsible for the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17. His announcement comes ahead of the anniversary of the passenger plane's downing, with memorial ceremonies scheduled for Friday in the Netherlands and Ukraine. The Netherlands had the highest number of passengers on flight MH17, and Ukraine is the country where the plane was shot down in the east, where the crisis between government forces and Moscow-backed separatists continues. Western countries have accused the separatists of using Russian weapons to shoot down the passenger plane, while Russia denies any involvement in the situation in Ukraine. All 298 occupants of the plane were killed in this incident. On July 11, Malaysia informed the UN Security Council of its intention to seek permission to establish an international court to prosecute those involved in the downing of flight MH17 over Ukraine. Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, told the Dutch Prime Minister in a call on July 25 that the establishment of such a court is 'premature' and would have an adverse outcome. The Kremlin stated that any decision should be made completely, independently, and without prejudice, criticizing what Moscow described as 'politicized media' reports on the incident. According to Reuters, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte stated that establishing such a court is 'the best guarantee for cooperation from all countries' in the pursuit of justice for the victims' families.