The Dutch Foreign Ministry has summoned Russia's ambassador in The Hague for a diplomatic rebuke after Moscow made remarks critical of the criminal investigation into the crash of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17.
Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders said on September 30 that Russian reactions to the investigation's findings "cast doubt on the integrity, professionalism, and independence" of the investigators.
"The Russian ambassador has been made to understand that such unfounded criticism is unacceptable," the ministry said in a statement.
Earlier this week, a team of international investigators presented findings showing that the missile launcher used to shoot down MH17 over eastern Ukraine in 2014 came from Russia and was returned there afterward -- despite Russian denials of involvement in the conflict in Ukraine.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told a September 28 news conference in Moscow that the Joint Investigation Team's findings showed that the probe was “biased and politically motivated."
