MH17: Hishammuddin to visit Kiev this weekend

He said the focus of his working visit was to ensure safe passage for the team into and out of the crash site.

"The prime minister (Datuk Seri Najib Razak) has asked me to go to Kiev to get the agreement from the relevant parties in this matter.

"We want the investigating team to resume its unfinished work of searching for the rest of the remains of the tragedy victims," he told a press conference after sending off the 850-2 Malbatt (Malaysian battalion) to Lebanon at the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) base here Thursday.

Hishammuddin will be accompanied on the trip to Kiev by Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Hamzah Zainuddin and Chief of Defence Forces Gen Tan Sri Zulkifeli Mohd Zin.

Hishammuddin said he hoped that the Ukraine government and the separatists would entertain the request by the Malaysian government on humanitarian grounds.

"The situation in eastern Ukraine, especially at the crash site, is very tense because there is a war going on.

"However, this has not dampened the Malaysians' will and our prime minister's vow to bring the investigating team back to the crash site and bring back all the remains of the Malaysians," he said.

He also said after his visit to Ukraine, he would leave for Russia and the Netherlands to coordinate and discuss the search and investigation pertaining to the MH17 tragedy.

He said the Malaysian government would not rest until those responsible for allegedly shooting down the aircraft had been brought to justice.

Flight MH17 crashed in eastern Ukraine on July 17 as it was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur with 283 passengers and 15 crew on board. The Boeing 777-200 aircraft is believed to have been shot down over the troubled country.