DUSHANBE, July 30 (RIA Novosti) - Kiev is acting in violation of a UN Security Council resolution by not halting its military actions near the Malaysian plane crash site in eastern Ukraine, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Wednesday.
“UN Security Council Resolution 2166 demands this, and we insist on it to be strictly observed, especially its provision concerning the cessation of hostilities in the crash zone. This demand is being blatantly violated by Ukrainian troops with the connivance of some of Kiev’s backers, so international experts are unable to start their work,” Lavrov said.
Speaking to Tajik diplomats during his visit to Dushanbe, Lavrov reiterated that the deadly crash, which killed 298 people earlier this month, must be investigated in the most objective and independent manner possible.
The United States accused Russia of refusing to cooperate with the international investigation into the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 crash, while placing the blame on independence forces in eastern Ukraine.
At the same time earlier this week, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott expressed his concerns over the inability of international specialists to reach the crash site due to intense fighting. “There is fighting and it’s not just the separatists, it’s the Ukrainian government as well," Abbot said Tuesday.
International aviation experts also noted that the self-defense forces assisted them in getting to the crash site.
A total of 298 people, including 85 children and 15 crew members, died on July 17 as Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur crashed in the Donetsk Region of Ukraine.
The cause of the catastrophe remains unclear and an investigation into the circumstances is still underway.
