US Department of State agrees with findings of MH-17 investigation
The State Department has released a statement on its website noting that the US does not doubt the findings of the Joint Investigative Team (JIT) in the course of the investigation into the crash of the Malaysian Airlines Boeing in the Donbas.
"It is time for Russia to cease its lies and account for its role in the shoot down [of the aircraft]," the press statement said.
It also called on Moscow to respect and comply with UN Security Council resolution 216, which requires all states to cooperate to identify those responsible and bring them to justice.
"We again extend our deepest sympathies to the families and friends of the victims and call for justice on behalf of the 298 innocent civilians who lost their lives on that day," the State Department added.
The JIT announced the first results of its investigation on May 24. According to the investigators, the 777-200ER Boeing passenger plane, which was owned by Malaysia Airlines and flying in 2014 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, was shot down by the a Russian Buk anti-aircraft system while flying over the Donbas conflict zone.
The investigation team stated that the Buk belonged to the 53rd anti-aircraft missile brigade, which is based Kursk region, and that it was transferred into Ukraine under military escort.
Wilbert Paulissen of the Dutch National Police, who serves as the head of the National Crime Squad, said that "All the vehicles in the convoy that accompanied the missile system belonged to the Russian Armed Forces."
The Malaysian Boeing crashed in the Donbas on July 17, 2014. As a result of the crash, 298 people were killed, of whom 198 were Dutch citizens.