The Netherlands has asked the United Nations to set up an international tribunal to prosecute the suspects in the MH17 plane crash.

Prime minister Mark Rutte made the announcement during his weekly press conference on Friday, saying: ‘Justice for the victims has always been our priority.’

The Netherlands is joined in the request by Malaysia, Belgium, Australia and Ukraine.

Malaysian flight MH17 was en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it was brought down over Ukraine in July last year, apparently by a missile fired by pro-Russian rebels. All 298 people on board, most of them Dutch, were killed.

Russia, which is a permanent member of the UN security council, already said it is much too early to think about how responsibility for the crash should be pursued, and is in a position to block the request.

However, Malaysia is currently a non-permanent member and foreign affairs minister Bert Koenders told broadcaster Nos this provides an advantage in seeing if a tribunal is achievable.