MOSCOW, July 18 (RIA Novosti) – German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday called for a ceasefire in eastern Ukraine to ensure an independent investigation into the Malaysia Airlines crash, and to find a political solution to the conflict.
"An independent investigation must be carried out. For that, a ceasefire is required," the chancellor said.
Merkel called on the Russian government to work on a political solution to the Ukrainian crisis, which has been escalating since mid-April, Kiev authorities have been conducting a special military operation in eastern Ukraine to suppress the independence movement.
"The Russian president and the Russian government must contribute to the political resolution of the conflict in Ukraine," she told journalists.
Moscow has repeatedly called on Kiev to immediately put a stop the violence and resolve the conflict through peaceful dialogue.
The German chancellor also expressed condolences to the relatives of the victims of the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 crash. The plane crashed near the town of Torez in the Donetsk Region while flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur on Thursday. All 283 passengers and 15 crew members on board were killed.
"My thoughts are with the victims and their relatives. There were four Germans among those killed. I spoke to colleagues from the Netherlands and expressed condolences not only on my behalf, but on behalf of all Germans," Merkel said.
She supported the theory that the plane was downed.
Kiev blamed independence supporters in the turbulent Donetsk Region earlier for downing the passenger plane with a surface-to-air missile. Militia forces said they had no missile systems that could hit a target flying at an altitude of 10,000 meters.
