Malaysian PM Najib Razak says agreement reached with Ukraine separatists on police access to crash site

Malaysia's Prime Minister said on Sunday that an agreement had been reached with separatists in Ukraine to give international police access to the site where a Malaysian plane was downed and enable investigators to determine why the aircraft crashed.

A statement issued by Najib Razak's office said the agreement with separatist leader Aleksander Borodai would "provide protection for international crash investigators" to recover human remains and ascertain the cause of the crash. Malaysia said that Alexander Borodai, the leader of the separatist forces and prime minister of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, agreed Sunday to allow the police deployment.

"I hope that this agreement with Mr Borodai will ensure security on the ground so the international investigators can conduct their work," Najib said in the statement.  The statement added Malaysia would work "closely together" with the Netherlands and Australia to deploy the police personnel with details still being discussed.

Sixty-eight Malaysian police personnel will leave Kuala Lumpur for the crash site on Wednesday, it added.