MOSCOW, July 23 (RIA Novosti) - Russian President Vladimir Putin and Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott have discussed the situation in Ukraine in a phone conversation Wednesday, reiterating the importance of ending combat activities in Ukraine, the Kremlin press service said in a statement.
“The importance of ending military activities has been emphasized [by Russia and Australia], including to provide access to the catastrophe site [of the downed Malaysian Boeing 777] for the international experts,” the statement says.
Moreover, Putin and Abbot agreed to “continue coordinated steps in the line of foreign affairs ministries – in bilateral and multilateral formats.”
“Abbot extended his gratitude to Putin for Russia’s constructive role in solving a number of issues related to the conduct of a comprehensive and objective investigation into the crash of the Malaysian plane in Ukraine,” the Kremlin said in the statement.
Last Thursday, Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was downed and crashed near the city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, killing all 298 people on board, including 283 passengers and 15 crew members.
The UN Security Council condemned the downing of the passenger plane and unanimously voted in support of a thorough and independent international investigation of the incident.
The 15-member council said in a resolution it “supports efforts to establish a full, thorough and independent international investigation into the incident in accordance with international civil aviation guidelines.”
Ukrainian government and militia have been trading blame for the alleged downing of the airliner, with independence supporters saying they lacked the technology to shoot down a target flying at altitude of 33,000 feet.
