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 Putin made his comments in a phone call with Dutch Prime Minister
Mark Rutte before Friday's first anniversary of the incident in
which all 298 aboard were killed, many of them Dutch.
Rutte has said a U.N. tribunal would give "the best guarantee of
cooperation from all countries" in seeking justice for the families
of the victims. Russia disputes accusations that pro-Russian
separatists fighting government forces in east Ukraine shot it down.
The Kremlin said in a statement that Putin "explained Russia's
position regarding the premature and counterproductive initiatives
of several countries, including the Netherlands, on the
establishment of an international tribunal."
 It said he had underlined that any decisions and investigations must
be thorough, objective and independent, and criticized what the
statement described as politicized media coverage offering various
versions of what happened.
Russia, which denies involvement in the conflict in eastern Ukraine,
has dismissed the theory widely supported abroad that the
pro-Russian separatists hit the plane with a Russian-supplied BUK
missile. Russian officials have suggested Ukrainian forces shot it
down, a charge denied by Kiev.
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The Netherlands is leading the criminal investigation, which is also
assisted by Belgium, Australia and Ukraine. A final report on the
cause of the crash is due to be released in October by the Dutch
Safety Board.
(Reporting by Polina Devitt; Editing by Timothy Heritage)
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