Boris Johnson says Russia must 'answer for its actions' over downing of flight MH17
3 min read
Russia must "answer of its actions" over the downing of flight MH17 nearly four years ago, Boris Johnson has declared.
The Foreign Secretary said the missile strike on the plane, which led to the deaths of all 298 people on board, was "an egregious example of the Kremlin’s disregard for innocent life".
His comments came after investigators from Australia, Belgium, Malaysia, the Netherlands and Ukraine published a report blaming Russia for the attack on the Malaysia Airlines passenger jet, which was en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, when it was downed on 17 July, 2014.
They concluded that the crash was caused by a Russian missile fired from rebel-held territory in Ukraine.
Moscow has always denied any involvement in the atrocity, but Mr Johnson said the findings of the Joint Investigation Team, alongside others which reached the same conclusion, proved beyond doubt that it was.
He said: "The Kremlin believes it can act with impunity. The Russian government must now answer for its actions in relation to the downing of MH17. The UK fully supports Australia and the Netherlands in their request to the Russian Federation to accept state responsibility, and to co-operate with them in their efforts to deliver justice for the victims of this tragedy.
"Instead of seeking to undermine the investigation through the deluge of disinformation we have seen from Russia about MH17 in the past, the Russian Federation must fulfil its obligations under UN Security Council resolution 2166 to provide any requested assistance to the investigation. To do otherwise would be a violation of the UN’s resolution, and to deny the families the justice they seek for their loved ones.
"This is an egregious example of the Kremlin’s disregard for innocent life. The international community has witnessed this irresponsible and destabilising pattern of behaviour in Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea, and in its fomenting of conflict in eastern Ukraine which has led to the death of over 10,300 people; in its shielding of President Assad’s brutal regime as he uses chemical weapons against his own people.
"The UK will continue to offer its full support to the efforts of the Joint Investigation Team, the Dutch and Australian authorities and other grieving nations to deliver accountability for this terrible act and justice for all those who died."
The investigation's findings come against a backdrop of worsening relations between Russia and the west.
Britain has blamed Moscow for a nerve agent attack on former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury in March.
Russia has also been condemned for its continued support for Syrian president Bashar al-Assad in the wake of a chemical weapons attack which left dozens of his own people dead.
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