Moscow, July 16 (IANS): Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday expressed opposition to the formation of an international criminal tribunal for the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 a year ago.

Calls for such a tribunal were counter-productive, Xinhua quoted Putin as telling Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, whose country plays a leading role in the international investigation of the incident. Both the leaders were holding a telephonic conversation.

The five countries undertaking the independent criminal investigation into the accident, namely Australia, Belgium, Malaysia, the Netherlands and Ukraine, on Tuesday asked the UN Security Council to establish an international criminal tribunal to try those responsible for the downing of the passenger jet.

Putin said the international investigation should be "thorough and objective" and in full compliance with UN Resolution 2166.

The Boeing 777-200ER was en route from Amsterdam, the Netherlands, to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, when it was downed over Ukraine on July 17, 2014, killing all 298 people on board.