US points to Russian role in downed passenger jet

The US has said that it could not rule out Moscow having a role in helping separatists launch the missile that brought down a Malaysia Airlines jet over eastern Ukraine, killing 298 civilians.

President Barack Obama said evidence showed that Kuala Lumpur-bound Flight 17 from Amsterdam came down on Thursday in an area controlled by Russian-backed separatists but he cautioned that the US was still investigating what happened the jet.

In his first extensive remarks on the tragedy, the president said that the US has "increasing confidence" that Russian separatist rebels shot down the plane and that Russia must share some responsibility for the crisis in Ukraine.

"A group of separatists can't shoot down military transport planes or, they claim, fighter jets, without sophisticated weaponry, and that comes from Russia," he said. The tragedy should be "a wake-up call for Europe and the world", he said, adding that the conflict could not be localised to the region.

‘Immediate ceasefire’

“This should snap everybody’s heads to attention,” he said, calling for an immediate ceasefire to facilitate an investigation at the crash site and for Russia to stop arming separatists in eastern Ukraine.

“Obviously, we’re beginning to draw some conclusions given the nature of the shot that was fired,” the president said. “There are only certain types of anti-aircraft missiles that can reach up 30,000 feet and shoot down a passenger jet.”

US ambassador to the UN Samantha Power offered more specific details about the nature of the weaponry believed to have been used in the attack, pressing the case that Russia and Moscow-backed rebels were responsible.

She said the US could not rule out Russia having a role in helping to fire the ground-to-air missile that brought down the jet.

In a stinging rebuke of Russia on its handling of the conflict in Ukraine, Ms Power challenged Moscow to end the violence. "Russia can end this war," she said at the UN Security Council in New York. "Russia must end this war."

Russian border

Ms Power said the commercial passenger jet was likely shot down from an area controlled by separatists near the border with Russia with a type of missile system supplied to them by the Russians.

Russian separatists had been spotted hours before the incident with an SA-11 Sam anti-aircraft missile system, a type of weapon provided by Moscow, “close to the site where the plane came down”, she said.

"Separatists initially claimed responsibility for shooting down a military transport plane, and claimed responsibility and posted videos that are now being connected to the Malaysian Airlines crash," she said.

“Separatist leaders also boasted on social media about shooting down a plane, but later deleted those messages.”