Dutch Anger
While it remains unclear who is responsible, with Russia and Ukraine blaming each other for the downing of the jet on Thursday, Dutch anger is focusing on President Vladimir Putin. Ukraine’s state security service said it intercepted phone conversations among pro-Russian militants discussing a missile strike. “Hopefully Putin will fall down from his throne and the world can get a better place!” Irene Hoofs, who says she lives in Singapore and was born in Amsterdam, posted on her Twitter feed. “Angry that these people make our world so dangerous.” Putin, who has repeatedly denied Russian involvement in the fighting in Ukraine, said the government in Kiev bore responsibility because the crash wouldn’t have occurred without the current strife with separatists battling regular forces in two eastern regions of the country.
Trade Relations
Dutch-Russian trade relations trace back for centuries. Last year, King Willem Alexander visited Putin in the Kremlin. The King and Rutte attended the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Sochi, which was shunned by other government leaders.
Others are questioning the plane’s route. Flight 17 was at about 33,000 feet (10,000 meters), taking a route over eastern Ukraine when it came down. While several other carriers avoided that path, the flight was at an altitude cleared for commercial traffic, according to navigation agency Eurocontrol. Back at Schiphol Airport, Von Boltog reflects as he considers the flight he is scheduled to take to Indonesia on Wednesday. “Of course, I’m more worried,” he said.(Bloomberg)
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