MH17 incident not a cold-war tool

Russia supported the resolution, saying that the International Civil Aviation Organization, a UN body, rather than Ukrainian authorities, should lead the investigation, because it would make the probe neutral. Russia also said that it would accept the conclusion of the international probe provided it was based on compelling evidence, including objective measurement data from the MH17 black boxes and other sources.

Hopefully, the international probe team will release its report in the next few days. But irrespective of whom the probe team eventually holds responsible for the tragedy, Russia will continue to insist on declaring "ceasefire" in the conflict zone, followed by a complete cessation of military operations in eastern Ukraine and the beginning of the peace process. Further sanctions and/or attempts to isolate Russia from the international community will not change Russia's policy toward Ukraine.

There is another important aspect of the MH17 tragedy, which concerns universally accepted principles of ethics and morality, that is, no country or organization has the right to use such incidents to start a propaganda campaign or an information war against a political opponent.

But serious as the MH17 incident is, it is not the beginning of a new cold war. Humankind survived the two world wars and avoided a third by using better judgment during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. It has also overcome other deadly crises. And the most important lesson it has learnt from all of them is that, mutual trust and transparency are the best cure for distrust and conflict.

The author is chief academic researcher at the Institute of Far Eastern Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences.