Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, issued the following statement on the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17:
 
“My thoughts and prayers remain with families of the passengers of Flight 17.  The lawless actions of the separatists in eastern Ukraine must be stopped.  The Russian Government bears responsibility for this atrocity by supplying the separatists with advanced weapons and encouraging their assaults on Ukrainian forces, including shooting down military aircraft.  Vladimir Putin has the power to end this conflict by pressing the separatists to accept President Poroshenko’s accommodating plan to bring peace to Ukraine and prevent further bloodshed.”

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