KUALA LUMPUR – Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s decision to raise the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 tragedy with Russian President Vladimir Putin during their meeting in Moscow underscores Malaysia’s consistent reliance on diplomacy in handling the incident, says an analyst.
Speaking to Scoop, Azmi Hassan, geostrategist and senior fellow at the Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research (NASR), said Malaysia’s approach reflected its belief that the 2014 tragedy should not be weaponised for geopolitical gains.
“Within 48 hours of the aircraft being shot down over eastern Ukraine in 2014, international discourse had already shifted toward political pressure on Russia and President Putin — well before the Russia-Ukraine conflict officially began.
“President Putin himself expressed Russia’s willingness to resolve the matter but stressed that it should not be turned into a geopolitical tool.
“What was even more surprising was that when the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) was formed in 2014 to investigate the incident, Malaysia — the owner of the aircraft and one of the primary nations affected — was initially left out of the core investigative group.
“At the time, Malaysia was perceived as being ‘too friendly’ with Russia, despite the fact that it was our own national carrier involved.
“Nevertheless, diplomacy has remained central to Malaysia’s official stance, ensuring justice is pursued for the victims and their families without becoming entangled in great power rivalries,” he said.
During his meeting with Putin last Wednesday, Anwar said he raised the matter during bilateral discussions as a representative of the families affected by the tragedy.
According to the Prime Minister, Putin listened attentively and extended his condolences and sympathy to the families of those who died.
Anwar added that the Russian president had reaffirmed his demand for a thorough investigation and stressed that the matter should not be politicised.
Putin said that from the beginning, Moscow had called for an independent and transparent probe, and reaffirmed Russia’s readiness to cooperate in order to ensure the credibility of the findings.
This came in response to a recent report by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), which held Russia responsible for the downing of flight MH17 over Ukraine in 2014.
According to the ICAO report, the aircraft was en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it was struck by a Russian missile while flying over eastern Ukraine amid fighting between pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian forces.
Meanwhile, Anwar’s political secretary, Muhammad Kamil Abdul Munim, reiterated Malaysia’s firm position in seeking resolution and justice, particularly for the victims and their families.
“Like the Prime Minister said, this matter should not be politicised.
“The best course of action now is to find solutions and means to resolve this crisis,” he said.
Flight MH17 was downed over Donetsk, Ukraine, on July 17, 2014, killing all 298 people on board, including 15 crew members. – May 16, 2025.
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