V. Putin: In light of the terrible tragic events that occurred in the skies over Donetsk, I would like to reiterate how Russia regards the events that are unfolding in Ukraine today.
We have called for all conflicting sides to immediately stop the bloodshed and sit down at the talks table numerous times. It can be said with confidence that had the military action in the east of Ukraine not resumed on June 28th, this tragedy surely would not have happened.
As such, nobody should and nobody has the right to use this tragedy to achieve narrow personal political goals. Such events should not separate but unite people. It is essential that all the people responsible for the situation in the region to increase their accountability before their own people and the people of the countries, the representatives of which became victims of this catastrophe.
It is necessary to do everything possible to provide the security for the work of international experts on the site of the tragedy. Today, representatives of Donbas, Donetsk, representatives of the Ukrainian Ministry of Emergency Situations and Malaysian experts are at work there. But this is insufficient.
It is necessary that a full-fledged expert group under ICAO and the according international committee work on the crash site. It is necessary to do everything to provide its total, absolute security, provide humanitarian corridors necessary for its work.
On its part, Russia will do everything that depends on us for the conflict in the east of Ukraine to transition from today’s military phase to the phase of discussion at the talks table using exclusively peaceful and diplomatic means.
Source: kremlin.ru
Translated by Mariya Shcherbinina
