Malaysia Airlines Ukraine Crash: Putin Calls for Ukraine Ceasefire

Russian President Vladimir Putin called on the Ukrainian government and pro-Russian separatists to lay down arms Friday amid international pressure for a probe into the circumstances surrounding the loss of a passenger jet over eastern Ukraine Thursday.

Both Kiev and Moscow have accused one another of being responsible for shooting down the Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 Thursday, killing all 298 passengers on board the Boeing 777 passenger jet.

Putin’s call for a ceasefire comes as emergency crews have begun sifting through the wreckage while investigators search for answers in the crash. The area where the plane crashed, near the village of Grabovo in eastern Ukraine, is controlled by separatist rebels. Disaster responders have had difficulty gaining access to the crash site, with checkpoints dotting the road from the city of Donetsk to the location of the wreckage, the Guardian reports.

Responders have said two black boxes were recovered from the wreckage, but it remains unclear who is in possession of the boxes at present time.

[The Guardian]