Irate West demands Vladimir Putin’s help

MOSCOW faces growing condemnation and isolation as world leaders demand Vladimir Putin cooperate fully with the MH17 investigation.

MOSCOW faces growing international condemnation and isolation as world leaders intensify demands for Russian President Vladimir Putin to co-operate fully with the investigation into the destruction of MH17 and allow the recovery of bodies.

Leaders believe it is almost certain the Malaysia Airlines flight, which was carrying 298 people, including 37 Australian citizens and residents, was shot down over rebel-held territory in the eastern Ukraine by a Russian-made ­missile in the hands of pro-­Russian separatists.

The international community is outraged over Mr Putin’s denial of any Russian involvement and his refusal to support an investigation or to exert influence over pro-Russian militia controlling the crash site.

Tony Abbott and his British and New Zealand counterparts as well as the US Secretary of State John Kerry and Dutch Prime ­Minister Mark Rutte are united in their demands for Mr Putin to co-operate, with Mr Rutte saying he had told the Russian leader “time is running out for you to show the world that you have good ­intentions’’.

Nations including Britain are holding out the prospect of tougher economic sanctions against Russia and military assistance for Ukraine if Moscow does not co-operate and move to end the crisis on its border.

“If Mr Putin does not change his approach to Ukraine, then ­Europe and the West must fundamentally change our approach to Russia,” British Prime Minister David Cameron said. “This is not about military action, plainly. But it is time to make our power, influence and resources count.”

Mr Abbott, who last night convened a meeting of the National Security Committee of cabinet in response to the downing of MH17, said earlier that Russia “can’t wash its hands of this’’.

“My fear is that Russia will say the right thing, but that on the ground, interference with the site, interference with investigators, interference with the dignified treatment of bodies will continue: that’s my fear,’’ the Prime Minister said.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop will receive intelligence briefings in Washington today on how the US believes the aircraft was shot down and who was most likely responsible.

As shock turned to grief and anger, there are fears the crash site has already been comprehensively looted and that personal belongings and vital evidence, including the aircraft’s “black box” flight recorders, have been removed.

A top Ukrainian official said the government and pro-Russia separatists had reached a preliminary agreement to remove the bodies from the crash site in the face of international pressure.

The Ukrainian government and the separatists accuse each other of firing a surface-to-air missile that brought down MH17. The flight was on its way from ­Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur.

Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Volodymyr Groisman said the “preliminary” accord would let Ukrainian emergency services and international observers remove the bodies and transport them to a safe place, but he did not reveal where that would be.

Ms Bishop is expected to receive security briefings on the downing of MH17, including satellite imagery and other data, from western agencies which have been watching the area closely through months of bitter fighting between the Russia-backed separatists and Ukrainian government forces. Ukraine has said it has footage of a mobile launcher crossing from rebel territory into Russia. Ms Bishop will later fly on to New York to help finalise a resolution to be put to the UN Security Council demanding that Russia use its influence to ensure the rebels allow international crash investigators to begin work at the site.

Australia holds a non-permanent seat on the Security Council and Ms Bishop told The Australian she was working closely with other nations whose nationals died in the disaster on a resolution demanding that Russia enable a full investigation.

Mr Abbott said Ms Bishop would prosecute Australia’s case for an immediate securing of the site, proper treatment of the bodies and a full and fair international investigation that has access to the site, the debris, the black box and any persons who can shed light on the incident.

He said Ms Bishop was there to make the case “for decency and justice — she’s there and she will stay there for as long as needs be’’.

Australia is consulting with its allies because “it is simply unacceptable to see what is happening on this site, given that 298 innocent people have been murdered’’, the Prime Minister told the Nine Network.

The resolution will be backed strongly by Britain, the US, New Zealand and Germany.

The Netherlands suffered the biggest loss of passengers in the disaster, with 192 killed, and Mr Rutte had what he described as an “intense’’ phone conversation with Mr Putin.

He said the Dutch people were “furious” at pictures of bodies being carried across the open country, and called on the Russian President to use his influence and do what was expected of him. German Chancellor Angela Merkel telephoned Mr Putin, urging him to co-operate.

Mr Cameron said there was a growing weight of evidence that MH17 was blown out of the sky by a surface-to-air missile fired from a rebel-held area.

“If this is the case then we must be clear what it means: this is a direct result of Russia destabilising a sovereign state, violating its territorial integrity, backing thuggish militias and training and arming them,” Mr Cameron said.

He said for too long there had been a reluctance on the part of too many European countries to face up to what was happening in eastern Ukraine.

New British Defence Secretary Michael Fallon warned Mr Putin he faced “repercussions’’ for egging on the separatists blamed for downing the aircraft.

While Britain will not send ground troops, it warned that it and its NATO allies could provide other military assistance, including military aircraft and intelligence. Further economic sanctions and punitive measures against Russian money in Britain could be considered.

Mr Kerry told Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov he was deeply concerned that bodies and debris at the site had been removed or tampered with and by the separatists’ refusal to allow international monitors safe and unfettered access to the crash site.

Australia has been frustrated by Russia’s lack of co-operation.

Mr Abbott said Mr Lavrov had been unable to speak to Ms Bishop, and the most senior person he had access to was the Economic Development Minister Alexy Ulyukayeu, who was in Sydney for the G20 trade ministers meeting. “He was left in no uncertain terms our concerns,” Mr Abbott told the ABC’s Insiders program.