Ukraine is going to follow the example of the Netherlands and Australia to hold Russia responsible for the downing of the Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 (MH17) over a separatist-controlled area in Ukraine's Donbas on 17 July 2014, President Petro Poroshenko has said.
"The decision of the Netherlands and Australia to initiate the prosecution of the Russian Federation at the interstate level for downing the Malaysian Airlines MH 17 on 17 July 2014 is an extremely important step towards ensuring Russia's international legal responsibility for the systematic violations of its international obligations," he said on Facebook.
According to Poroshenko, this step naturally complements Ukraine's actions in the International Court of Justice in a lawsuit on the basis of the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism.
He has instructed the Foreign Ministry of Ukraine to promptly submit proposals on the possibility of joining the process initiated by the Netherlands and Australia.
"I call on the entire civilized world to join the efforts to bring to justice those responsible for downing the plane, as stipulated in the UN Security Council Resolution 2166 of 21 July 2014," he said.