Ukraine asks Berlin for help over downed jet
January 15, 2020
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Wednesday asked Germany to help get justice for the victims aboard the passenger plane mistakenly shot down by Iran days earlier.
In a phone call with Chancellor Angela Merkel, Zelenskiy discussed the aircraft's downing, which killed all 176 passengers and crew, and thanked Germany for its support and willingness to contribute to a transparent investigation.
"The Ukrainian head of state expects an effective investigation and prosecution of those responsible for the crash of the Ukraine airline flight, as well as compensations for the victims' families and the carrier," his office said.
"The president of Ukraine called on Germany to contribute politically to this process," it added.
Merkel expressed her condolences over the tragedy, according to the statement.
Kyiv seeks compensation
The Ukrainian government has already pledged to pay 200,000 hryvnia (€7,472, $8,332) to the families of victims in the coming days. However, Zelenskiy said he wanted Iran to compensate the victims.
According to Wednesday's statement, Ukrainian specialists are still working in Iran, dealing with the identification of bodies and examining the recovered flight recorders.
Read more: Germany, world leaders react after Iran admits downing plane by 'mistake'
Iran has pledged to punish those responsible and several people have already been arrested.
While speaking with Merkel, Zelenskiy also thanked Germany for mediating in the gas dispute with Russia. In turn, Angela Merkel said the next step would be to invest in Ukraine's gas transit system to make it more competitive.
dj/stb (Reuters, Interfax, Ukrainski Novini)
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