A two-hour break was all Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte got for his summer vacation. After arriving in southern Germany in the early afternoon of July 17 for a short holiday, Rutte took a call from Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. Within a few hours, he was on a government plane back to the Netherlands. At Schiphol Airport, he spoke with a grim face about a “beautiful summer day that ended pitch black.” Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 had crashed in Ukraine on a flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, sparking suspicion it was shot down by pro-Russian rebels.
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A pair of clogs with a message for Dutch citizens killed on the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 is seen in front of the Netherlands Embassy on July 21, 2014 in Washington, DC.
