The US has pointedly criticised Russian arming of rebels in Ukraine
as the world demanded answers over the shooting down of Malaysia
Airlines flight MH17 by a suspected Russian-made missile, resulting in
the death of all 298 people on board the civilian airliner.
The
White House stopped short of directly blaming Russia for the plane’s
destruction but linked its remarks on the disaster to the Kremlin’s
support for separatists in Ukraine, urging Vladimir Putin’s government
to stop inflaming the situation in the country and take "concrete steps"
towards de-escalation.
The huge loss of life threatens to
have wide-ranging and unpredictable consequences, coming just after the
US imposed further sanctions on Russia for continuing to provide weapons
to the rebels.
The former US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, made some of the most potent remarks
in a television interview, saying there were strong indications
Russian-backed militia were to blame and action was needed to "put
[Vladimir] Putin on notice that he has gone too far and we are not going
to stand idly by".
Clinton called for the EU to increase sanctions on Russia, while the Australian prime minister Tony Abbott demanded that Russia explain the disaster as it “now seems certain it’s been brought down by a Russian-supplied surface-to-air missile”.
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