Dutch Flower Sellers Say Russia’s Ban Threat May Have MH17 Link

The Netherlands’ biggest agricultural group said a Russian threat to ban flower imports from the country may be linked to efforts to investigate the downing of a Malaysian Airlines plane over eastern Ukraine in which 198 Dutch citizens were killed.

Russia’s agricultural agency Rosselkhoznadzor said Tuesday that it was almost certain to halt flower shipments from the Netherlands because they contain pests that pose a “serious danger” to Russia’s economy and farming.

The proposed ban emerged after a call for an international tribunal to prosecute people suspected of shooting down Flight MH17 was rejected as “premature and counterproductive” by Russian President Vladimir Putin in a phone conversation with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte last week. Putin condemned what he called “openly politicized” leaks from an as yet unpublished report by the Dutch-led investigation into the July 17, 2014, crash that killed all 298 people on board.

Dutch flowers meet the standards for plant health and talk of pests is “just an excuse for the Russian government to ban flowers,” Maarten Leseman, spokesman for the Hague-based LTO Nederland, said by phone. “The real reason is political. The tribunal could be the real reason.”

Conflict, Sanctions

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment in a conference call to reporters on Tuesday, saying it was a matter for Rosselkhoznadzor. Russia imported 30,700 metric tons of Dutch flowers valued at $225 million last year, compared with the country’s total flower purchases abroad of 79,000 tons, the Prime news service reported, citing Russian customs data.

The U.S. and other countries have accused separatists fighting government troops in eastern Ukraine of shooting down the airliner using a BUK surface-to-air missile supplied by Russia. Russia has denied any role in the crash and suggested that the Ukrainian army may have downed the plane.

The tribunal has been proposed by countries including the Netherlands, Malaysia and Australia, which saw 38 citizens perish in the crash.

Russia last month extended a ban on food imports from the U.S. and other countries after sanctions imposed over its role in the Ukraine conflict were prolonged.