MOSCOW, July 23./ITAR-TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Finnish President Sauli Niinisto called for an immediate start of a comprehensive international investigation into the Malaysian plane crash in eastern Ukraine, the Kremlin said on Wednesday.

Putin and Niinisto stressed the need for stepped up international efforts to facilitate a political settlement of the internal conflict in Ukraine and for the soonest ceasefire in the plane crash area so that specialists could begin an investigation as required by UN Security Council Resolution 2166 of July 21.

The two leaders also touched up the prospects for relations between Russia and the European Union and the bilateral agenda.