Boeing 737 downing by missile possible, says Ukrainian President

Tehran blamed a technical malfunction while the US, UK and Canadian authorities said they had obtained video evidence of a missile being fired at the aircraft from Iran.

Kyiv: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Friday that the West's claims that the Ukrainian airplane that crashed in Iran was allegedly downed by a missile were possible, but remained unconfirmed and called on the US, UK and Canada to provide evidence.

"We are in constant contact with our representatives. Claims that a missile struck the aircraft cannot be excluded, but as of today, they remain unconfirmed. Considering statements made by the US, UK and Canadian governments, we call on our partners to present evidence to the commission investigating the incident," Zelenskyy wrote on his Telegram blog.

The jet crashed on Wednesday near Tehran, shortly after takeoff killing all 176 people on board. The accident took place minutes after Iran's missile attack on US bases in Iraq.

Tehran blamed a technical malfunction while the US, UK and Canadian authorities said they had obtained video evidence of a missile being fired at the aircraft from Iran.

Zelenskyy added that he would be holding talks later on Friday with US State Secretary Mike Pompeo concerning the ongoing investigation into the plane crash.