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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
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| Obama Denounces Russia and Separatists for Obstructing Crash Site | Obama Denounces Russia and Separatists for Obstructing Crash Site |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| WASHINGTON — President Obama on Monday sternly denounced Russia and the separatists it supports in Ukraine for blocking access to the site where Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was brought down last week, declaring that “time is of the essence” to recover bodies and evidence. | WASHINGTON — President Obama on Monday sternly denounced Russia and the separatists it supports in Ukraine for blocking access to the site where Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was brought down last week, declaring that “time is of the essence” to recover bodies and evidence. |
| Four days after the passenger jet was shot down by what American officials have called a Russian-made and supplied antiaircraft missile, Mr. Obama tried to raise the pressure on the Kremlin as the bodies of nearly 300 passengers and crew remain in limbo amid conflict over the crash scene. | Four days after the passenger jet was shot down by what American officials have called a Russian-made and supplied antiaircraft missile, Mr. Obama tried to raise the pressure on the Kremlin as the bodies of nearly 300 passengers and crew remain in limbo amid conflict over the crash scene. |
| Mr. Obama, speaking at the White House, said pro-Russian separatists have blocked investigators from the scene, fired their guns in the air, removed physical evidence and delayed or impeded the collection of the bodies. “All of which begs the question: what exactly are they trying to hide?” he asked. | Mr. Obama, speaking at the White House, said pro-Russian separatists have blocked investigators from the scene, fired their guns in the air, removed physical evidence and delayed or impeded the collection of the bodies. “All of which begs the question: what exactly are they trying to hide?” he asked. |
| He added that in some cases bodies have been removed from the scene by separatists without due respect. “It’s the kind of behavior that has no place in the community of nations,” Mr. Obama said. | He added that in some cases bodies have been removed from the scene by separatists without due respect. “It’s the kind of behavior that has no place in the community of nations,” Mr. Obama said. |
| American officials have said that their intelligence shows that the Boeing 777-200 was taken down on Thursday by an SA-11 surface-to-air missile supplied by Russia to separatists. Such a weapon could not be used without extensive training and assistance, the officials have said. | American officials have said that their intelligence shows that the Boeing 777-200 was taken down on Thursday by an SA-11 surface-to-air missile supplied by Russia to separatists. Such a weapon could not be used without extensive training and assistance, the officials have said. |
| The standoff over the crash site has reinforced American suspicions that Russians played a direct role in assisting separatists who fired the missile or perhaps pulled the trigger themselves. | The standoff over the crash site has reinforced American suspicions that Russians played a direct role in assisting separatists who fired the missile or perhaps pulled the trigger themselves. |
| “Our immediate focus is on recovering those who were lost, investigating exactly what happened and putting forward the facts,” Mr. Obama said. “We have to make sure the truth is out, that accountability exists.” | |
| He singled out President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia as responsible for the chaotic situation at the crash scene and said the Kremlin leader would be held accountable for ensuring that separatists open the site to international investigators. “He has direct responsibility to compel them to cooperate with the investigation,” Mr. Obama said. “That is the least that they can do.” |