The father of a passenger who lost his life on the tragic MH17 flight in 2014 has spoken of his war fears, as tensions continue to grow on the Ukrainian and Russian border.
28-year-old Liam Sweeney was on the flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur on July 17, 2014, when it was shot out of the sky over Eastern Ukraine by a missile, claiming the lives of 297 others - including his close friend and fellow Geordie, John Alder, 63.
Three Russian nationals and one Ukranian are currently on trial for murder 'in Abstentia' in the Netherlands after the incident, with a verdict reported to be expected later this year.
Go here for the very latest breaking news updates from across the North East
A Buk missile blew MH17 out of the sky above conflict-torn eastern Ukraine, leading to 298 passengers on board tragically losing their lives - and Liam's father Barry yesterday spoke out of his concerns amidst tensions growing on the Russia/Ukraine border.
Speaking to Chronicle Live, he said: "At the time when MH17 was shot down, the conflict was happening at the time.
"I think with what happened with MH17 it all got detracted, because the whole world started looking at what was happening in Eastern Ukraine at the time.
"I think things were probably pulled back, as the Russians might have then invaded before that - that's my opinion.
"The last couple of years with Covid have probably pushed it all back as well, but it looks like it's probably going to happen."
He added: "I think all of the heads of state need to get together and sort something out - I know that it looks like it's inevitable now that they're going to invade."
He added: "It was happening, you had the Russian rebels there at the time who were based in Ukraine - there were probably Ukrainians as well who were on the Russian side, as opposed to their own.
"It was definitely, definitely going to happen but I don't think we took as much notice then.
"Something had to happen, and obviously with MH17 - which I still believe wasn't intentional, I think it was just in the wrong place at the wrong time - but then the eyes of the world came, and it was a focal point of what had happened so I think that sort of knocked everything back."
It comes as prime minister Boris Johnson and US President spent 40 minutes trying to avert war tonight discussing the deepening crisis with Vladimir Putin.
The Mirror reports during the transatlantic call, Mr Johnson and Mr Biden “agreed there remained a crucial window for diplomacy and for Russia to step back from its threats towards Ukraine”, Downing Street said.
A spokeswoman added: “The leaders emphasised that any further incursion into Ukraine would result in a protracted crisis for Russia, with far reaching damage for both Russia and the world.
“They agreed that western allies must remain united in the face of Russian threats, including imposing a significant package of sanctions should Russian aggression escalate.”
It comes as tens of thousands of Russian troops were positioned over various Ukrainian frontiers, with figures warning missiles could be fired within minutes of Putin giving orders to attack.
The British and American leaders also underlined “the need for European countries to reduce their dependence on Russian gas, a move which, more than any other, would strike at the heart of Russia’s strategic interests”.
Barry Sweeney also questioned what can be done from the UK and other supporting Allies to prevent an invasion and all out war taking place, but has little hope looking back in history - citing the Iraq and Afghanistan wars of the early 2000s.
He said: "What can you do? When you think about what happened in Iraq and Afghanistan - we sent lots of kids over there to fight, and they probably didn't know what they were fighting for.
"Did we really know what we were fighting for? We lost lives, do we really want to lose any more?
"I lost my son and I don't want other families to lose their sons and daughters because of something that's beyond their control. I think when you come to the 21st century people should now be able to talk to resolve matters, as opposed to having to fight over it.
"It seems a little bit pre-historic that you've got to fight with guns.
"I did send a message towards the Kremlin asking them if I could go for a pint with Mr Putin - it was a little bit tongue and cheek and I'd had a drink so I was a little bit inebriated - but the post was taken down."
Barry now searches for answers to why the MH17 incident took place, answers which he may well receive when the ongoing trial in the Netherlands comes to a close.
He continued: "It's not what happened - we know what happened, we know how it happened. We know what the outcome is, but why did it happen?
"That's all I want to know is why, because we don't know why. Until I find that out I can't put that to bed, because I have no closure on it."
