France, Germany, Britain to press Vladimir Putin on opening crash site

France, Germany and Britain will press Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday to ensure that separatists in Ukraine allow investigators free access to the site of the Malaysian Airlines MH17 crash, the French president's office said.

"The president ... spoke this morning with Mrs Angela Merkel and Mr. David Cameron," President Francois Hollande's office said in a statement. "They agreed to demand from Mr. Putin today that he ensure that Ukrainian separatists allow emergency workers and investigators free and complete access at last to the site of the MH17 disaster to accomplish their mission."

"If Russia does not immediately take the necessary measures, the European Union will act in consequence at the Council of Foreign Affairs taking place on Tuesday."

(Reporting by Nicholas Vinocur; Editing by Alison Williams)