From RFERL's news desk: Russia Makes Veiled Threat To Veto MH17 Tribunal Plan At UN
Russia said it will oppose a draft United Nations resolution establishing an international tribunal to prosecute those who shot down Malaysian Flight MH17 over Ukraine.
"I don't see any future for" this resolution, Russian UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said. "Unfortunately, it seems that this is an attempt to organize a grandiose, political show, which only damages efforts to find the guilty parties."
Russia is a veto-wielding permanent member on the 15-member UN Security Council, which would have to approve the plan offered by Malaysia, the Netherlands, and other nations involved in a joint investigation of the airline crash.
Ukraine and Western countries accuse Russian-backed rebels in eastern Ukraine of shooting down the plane with a Russian-made missile. But Moscow says it did not supply the rebels with SA-11 Buk anti-aircraft missile systems.
"We should wait for the results of the investigation, and then we can think about how to most effectively approach the legal proceedings," Churkin said.
A final report from investigators is due in October.
Based on reporting by Reuters and AFP
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Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Oleksandr Turchynov says the question of Crimea will be closed "after the last Russian soldier leaves the peninsula."
From RFE/RL's news desk:
U.S. Joint Chiefs Nominee Says Russia Is 'Greatest National Security Threat'
The nominee to become chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff says Russia presents “the greatest threat” to national security and its behavior is "nothing short of alarming."
Marine General Joseph Dunford said at his Senate confirmation hearing on July 9, "If you want to talk about a nation that could pose an existential threat to the United States, I'd have to point to Russia.”
And if you look at their behavior, it's nothing short of alarming," he added.
Dunford also cited China, North Korea, and the Islamic State group as threats to U.S. national security.
The U.S. general also said it was "reasonable" to supply lethal arms to Ukrainians fighting against Russian-backed rebels.
Without that kind of assistance, he said, Ukrainian forces won’t be able to "defend themselves against Russian aggression."
Relations between Russia and the West have sunk to post-Cold War lows after Moscow's annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula and its support for rebels in eastern Ukraine.
The United States has imposed sanctions against Russia, but refrained from providing lethal arms to Ukrainian forces.
Based on reporting by AP, AFP, and Reuters
From RFE/RL's news desk: Russia Sets Trial Date For Ukrainian Director
A Russian court says the trial of Ukrainian film director Oleh Sentsov, who is accused of plotting terrorist attacks, will start on July 21.
At a preliminary hearing into Sentsov's case on July 9, a military court in the city of Rostov-on-Don also extended his pretrial detention to December 16.
Sentsov and three other Ukrainian citizens were arrested in May 2014 on suspicion of planning terrorist attacks in Crimea, which was annexed by Russia two months earlier.
Sentsov was charged with organizing a terrorist group, planning terrorist attacks, and illegally acquiring explosives.
He denies any wrongdoing.
If found guilty, Sentsov could face up to 20 years in jail.
Based on reporting by Interfax and rapsinews.ru