Dutch PM admits remains of some MH17 victims will never be recovered Return of all remains from MH17 disaster unlikely Dutch PM and Australian PM met with personnel involved in search and recovery mission Mr Rutte 'salutes the professionalism' of Australian teams Dutch officials consider the prospect of hiring local contractors to collect debris at the impact zone Tony Abbott seeks one-on-one meeting with Vladimir Putin MH17 was shot down on July 17 with 298 people on board By Frank Coletta for Daily Mail Australia There's almost no chance that all remains of MH17 victims will ever be recovered. That sobering assessment was delivered by Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Friday, as he and Australian PM Tony Abbott met with some of the 600 Australian personnel involved in the search and recovery mission. Malaysia Airlines MH17 was shot down on July 17. Kiev has blamed pro-Russian separatists for the airliner's destruction while Russia claims a Ukrainian military aircraft brought it down. Dutch PM Mark Rutte said 'we want to unite, if possible, everybody with their loved ones but we are not absolutely sure that we will be able to do that but we will do everything in our power' Investigators were only able to return to the impact zone in eastern Ukraine on October 31 because of a brief truce. It followed several weeks of fierce fighting in the area MH17 was brought down on July 17 with 298 passengers on board, near the village of Hrabove Dutch investigation teams have taken the lead in the operation. Australia committed more than 600 personnel at the height of the mission to search and recover Mark Rutte visited the headquarters of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Canberra on Friday with Prime Minister Tony Abbott. In saluting the 'professionalism' of Australian workers he also praised the country's defence chiefs for their swift action, adding that while they had never met before 'it felt like they had worked together for years'. But there was a reminder that despite all the hard work, there is likely to be heartache for some families. We are still not yet there, we are still trying to get all the remaining remains back,' Mr Rutte said. We want to unite, if possible, everybody with their loved ones but we are not absolutely sure that we will be able to do that but we will do everything in our power. A Dutch safety board report into the MH17 disaster found, in September, that a 'large number of high-energy objects' penetrated its fuselage. The Dutch PM thanked the Australian personnel called into action following the downing of MH17, with 38 Australians on board, 196 Dutch nationals and 43 Malaysian citizens were among the 298 passengers and crew. It's believed up to 20 victims remain unidentified, at least two of them thought to have ties to Australia. The Dutch PM thanked the Australian personnel called into action following the downing of MH17, with 38 Australians on board, 196 Dutch nationals and 43 Malaysian citizens were among the 298 passengers Accident investigators looking into the July crash are assessing the viability of hiring local contractors to collect wreckage still beyond their reach because of the continuing pro-Russian insurrection Mr Rutte again stressed the importance of a thorough, independent investigation into the attack before any decision on those responsible should face trial. His Australian counterpart agreed that 'it was a very intense time and it's not yet finished because we have yet to see the perpetrators of this crime brought to justice'. 'We are now in the resolution stages rather than the active response stages,' Mr Abbott added. At its heights almost 600 Australian personnel were deployed overseas to the Netherlands and the Ukraine. It was a textbook case of how Australia can respond at every level. It was our country at its best, even in the worst of times. The two leaders have planted a tree at the National Arboretum in Canberra. Prime Ministers Mark Rutte (Netherlands) and Tony Abbott (Australia) have worked closely together ever since the July 17 disaster which saw 298 passengers and crew on MH17 killed when it was shot down. On Friday they planted a ceremonial silver birch tree at the National Arboretum in Canberra The Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott plant a silver birch tree at the National Arboretum in Canberra. Mr Rutte has been in Australia to discuss the MH17 flight crash that killed 298 passengers and crew on route to Amsterdam from Kuala Lumpur in July The shooting down of flight MH17 as it flew over the conflict zone has stirred angry accusations between Moscow and the West over just who was responsible The Dutch government has refused to deal directly with the rebels who control the site, whom it regards as illegitimate. It has said investigators are endangered. Accident investigators looking into the July crash are assessing the viability of hiring local contractors to collect wreckage still beyond their reach because of a continuing pro-Russian insurrection. The crash of flight MH17 as it flew over the conflict zone has stirred angry accusations between Moscow and the West over who was responsible. The Dutch government has refused to deal directly with the rebels who control the site, whom it regards as illegitimate Prime Minister Tony Abbott thanks his Dutch counterpart. Mr Abbott is understood to now be seeking a one-on-one meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin when both leaders attend the annual APEC leaders summit in China next week Dutch authorities were able to reach the site of the crash for the first time in several weeks on October 31 after fighting between government forces and rebels had eased, under a brief truce. Prime Minister Abbott is understood to be seeking a one-on-one meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin when both leaders attend the annual APEC leaders summit in China next week.