Obama: Ukraine separatists must release MH17 crash site to investigators

(Vatican Radio)  U.S. President Barack Obama has accused Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine of deliberately keeping international investigators away from the site of the downed Malyasian Airlines passenger jet.  Speaking at the White House Monday, Obama said Russia, which has been accused of providing the separatist militants with arms, personnel and know-how, bears a direct responsibility to compel the separatists to cooperate with the investigation and that the burden is now on Moscow to insist that separatists stop tampering with the investigation.

Obama said Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine have kept investigators away from the site of the plane, at times firing their weapons into the air.

"What are they trying to hide?" he said.