Russia must 'account for role' in MH17 tragedy: G7

Russia must "account for its role" in the 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over Ukraine and cooperate with efforts to establish truth and justice, foreign ministers of the world's industrial democracies said Sunday. The statement by the G7 ministers came on the eve of a summit between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, but also just before the anniversary of the July 17, 2014 air disaster which killed all 298 crew and passengers when the airliner was shot down. G7 ministers said a joint investigation into the crash had yielded "compelling, significant and deeply disturbing" findings on Russia's involvement. "We are united in our support of Australia and the Netherlands as they call on Russia to account for its role in this incident and to cooperate fully with the process to establish the truth and achieve justice for the victims of MH17 and their next of kin," the statement said. Joined by the EU's high representative for foreign affairs, Federica Mogherini, the G7 ministers called on Russia to "immediately engage with Australia and the Netherlands in good faith to explain and to address all relevant questions regarding any potential breaches of international law." <br/>