Putin's last chance? World leaders voice outrage over MH17
European Union foreign ministers will meet tomorrow to discuss more sanctions on Russia. Caution on such a move appears to be weakening in the wake of the shooting down of a Malaysian Airlines flight over eastern Ukraine.
European Union foreign ministers will meet tomorrow to discuss more sanctions on Russia. Caution on such a move appears to be weakening in the wake of the shooting down of a Malaysian Airlines flight over eastern Ukraine.
Dutch experts were finally allowed in to examine bodies at the crash site of flight MH17 after calls from world leaders and relatives of victims targeted Russian President Vladimir Putin, with many saying now was his last chance for action before more sanctions are levied.
With 193 victims from the Netherlands, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte聽spoke of his shock聽over the 鈥渦tterly disrespectful behavior鈥� at the crash site and said of Russian President Vladimir Putin that 鈥渉e has one last chance to show he means to help."聽
With 27 victims from Australia, Prime Minister Tony Abbott said in an interview with Australian radio station that Mr. Putin had said聽鈥渁ll the right things.鈥澛燤r. Abbott went on to say, 鈥�'Now he has to be as good as his word. And I will be speaking regularly to the Russian president to do my best to hold him to his word.'鈥�
In a strongly worded opinion piece titled聽鈥淭his is an outrage made in Moscow...鈥澛爄n the聽Sunday聽Times, Mr. Cameron underscored that now was the moment for Russia to decide how it would handle the crash and for European leaders to move beyond statements of concern. There were 10 victims from the United Kingdom.
Cameron is expected discuss聽stronger sanctions聽targeting gas and oil industries聽as well as Russia鈥檚 defense sector today ahead of a聽Tuesday聽meeting of EU foreign ministers.The Guardian reported that he signaled that more action was a strong possibility:
Relatives of the victims have also vehemently spoken out against Putin鈥檚 role in the crisis. As reported by the Telegraph, Hans de Borst, the father of crash victim Elsemiek de Borst,聽went after Putin on social media.
Yet while world leaders and relatives of the victims who died on flight MH17 call on Putin to use his influence with the Russian-backed rebels to allow investigators wider access to the crash site and for the release of bodies, Russia media have continued to point fingers at the Ukrainian government and聽asserted that evidence聽presented by the Ukrainian government, including recordings of rebel conversations, is fake.聽
鈥淔akes cannot serve as an arsenal of arguments in diplomacy,鈥� [Ambassador to India Alexander] Kadakin stressed.