Flight MH17 departed from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport en-route to Kuala Lumpur International Airport on July 17, 2014. Three hours into the flight, the Boeing-777 was shot down by Russian proxy forces using a Buk surface-to-air missile above Ukraine’s Donetsk Oblast.
"Without this (Russia's recognition of the downing of MH17), there can be no lasting peace with Russia," the letter read.
The Dec. 25 Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash, likely caused by Russian air defense, shines light on a glaring issue the Kremlin has long swept under the rug. By unleashing its war against Ukraine, Russia has made its airspace a dangerous place. While Ukraine banned civilian flights over its territory hours
"The European Union reiterates its call on the Russian Federation to accept its responsibility in this tragedy and to cooperate fully in serving justice."
Two Russian nationals, Igor Girkin and Sergey Dubinsky, and Ukrainian Leonid Kharchenko, were found guilty of shooting down MH17 at a Hague District Court in November 2022.
At best, Russia denied responsibility for the crime — at worst, it spread disinformation blaming Ukraine for the downing.
The recent career of the outgoing Dutch Ambassador, Jennes de Mol, has been a good reflection of his country's relations with Ukraine. A career diplomat, De Mol was the Dutch Consul General in Saint Petersburg in 2014, when he came to Kyiv to assist the Dutch embassy in the aftermath
The Netherlands has spent at least 166 million euros ($179.8 million) on costs related to the downing of MH17, for which it holds Russia liable, according to a report by the Dutch General Audit Chamber (ARK) published on Feb. 29.
Chief among the claims was a request to declare Russia responsible for the downing of MH17 in 2014, which killed 298 people, the majority of whom were Dutch citizens.
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