Kiev: The Ukraine government is holding secret video conferences with the separatists it calls ''terrorists'' over gaining full access to the MH17 crash site – saying the site cannot be secured without the local militants’ agreement.

But it has called on the international community to place pressure on Russia to get the necessary deal done.

Hundreds of pro-Russian rebels, heavily armed with machine guns, guard the site and are allowing only very limited access to outsiders.

The process of removing the bodies is being carried out by untrained local workers, and their destination after removal is unclear, according to reports from rebel territory.

And no independent work has begun on forensic examination of the site to determine the cause of the tragedy.

Non-separatist emergency workers and international crash investigators will not be able to begin their work, and grieving family members will not be able to recover their loved ones’ remains or visit the place they died, without a deal being done.

However the negotiations are slow-moving because the Ukraine government has a policy of not negotiating with groups it calls ''terrorists'' and was, at least officially, trying to make their surrender and disarmament part of the deal.

The Trilateral Contact Group of senior representatives of Ukraine, the Russian Federation and international observers from the Organisation and Security for Co-operation in Europe convened in Kiev on July 17, shortly after the plane crash.

It held a video conference with separatist groups in Donetsk, who committed to close off the site and allow local authorities to start preparations for the recovery of bodies, and to provide safe access and security guarantees to the national investigation commission, including international investigators, in the area under their control.

But Ukraine Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin said it had not yet been possible to arrange unhindered access to the crash site, despite “around the clock” talks.

“We have been talking to the terrorists through different channels especially through video conferences,” he said.

“Some arrangements have been agreed and after that continue constantly broken by the terrorists.”

He did not want to go into more detail because he said it was a “paramount necessity” to keep the consultations alive.

The Ukraine government had set up a centre in Kharkiv for delivery of the bodies, together with consular assistance for relatives.

“What we need now is clear international pressure … on these terrorists to provide clear and unhindered access to [the] place of crash and to allow [the] international investigation team to be on site and to be able to carry out effective and transparent investigation,” Mr Klimkin said.

He said the international community should press Russia to wield its influence“because the main backers of the terrorist and the majority of the terrorist leaders are Russians”.

“The influence from the Russian side is there and this influence simply must be used in the sense that would allow the international investigation commission to work effectively transparently and having full access on site and it is our critical priority now.”