Rutte: Dutch authorities will share MH17 experience to aid Ukraine war crimes investigation

Experts from the Dutch police and Public Prosecution Service will share the knowledge they gained in the MH17 investigation with the International Criminal Court (ICC) to aid it in its investigation into war crimes in Ukraine, Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on Twitter. The Dutch leader wrote a series of messages on the social media service after speaking with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday.

"There must be coordination between the various accountability initiatives," Rutte said. "Agreements must be reached on the standards that evidence must meet. We must avoid a situation where information that has been collected cannot be used later in court."

The Netherlands will also give financial support to the ICC to "support its work as a whole," Rutte said.

"The atrocities of the past weeks demand a powerful response. The Netherlands will not rest until every apparent war crime has been investigated and those responsible have been prosecuted," he said. 

Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra announced on Monday an initial commitment of one million euros extra to help fund the ICC. He said that the people responsible for the "obvious crimes" committed in Ukraine must not get away with it.