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MH17 crash: Parents of 3 kids killed slam Trump for backing Putin

This article is more than 12 months old

PETALING JAYA A parent of three children killed on the Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 have lashed out at US President Donald Trump's refusal to hold Mr Vladimir Putin accountable for Russia's involvement in the attack during the two leaders' joint press conference on Monday in Helsinki.

MH17 was shot down on July 17, 2014, while flying over Eastern Ukraine, killing all 283 passengers and 15 crew on board.

The Dutch-led joint investigation team (JIT) concluded that the airliner was downed by a Buk surface-to-air missile launched from pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine.

Mr Anthony Maslin's three children - Mo, Evie and Otis, and their grandfather Nick Norris - were killed in the attack.

In a Facebook post on July 17, which coincidentally marked the fourth anniversary of the MH17 attack, Mr Maslin accused Mr Trump of having no empathy and not knowing what love is.

Mr Maslin took him through some of the "irrefutable facts" that are not the "fake news" Mr Trump often speaks of.

"That passenger flight MH17 was shot out of the sky and 298 innocent people were murdered is an irrefutable fact.

"That the plane was hit by a Russian missile has been proven to be an irrefutable fact.

"That this killed our three beautiful children and their grandfather, and destroyed our life and many other lives in the process, is an irrefutable fact.

"That this happened four years ago today … is an irrefutable fact.

"That the man whose arse you've just been kissing did this, and continues to lie about it, is an irrefutable fact," said Mr Maslin.

He added that what he felt towards Mr Trump and Mr Putin could not be described as "anger".

"It's not anger that I feel towards the two of you, it's something much, much worse. It's pity," he said.

"You have no empathy for your fellow men, and you clearly have no idea what love is."

Mr Trump's press conference with Mr Putin was widely condemned, after he sided with the Russians and bashed his own intelligence agencies over the issue of Russian interference with the US presidential election.- THE STAR

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