The bodies of the MH17 victims, including up to 39 Australian citizens and residents, will be transferred to Amsterdam as soon as possible, Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk says.
So far, 272 bodies have been found, of which 251 are in refrigerated train cars in rebel-controlled eastern Ukraine.
Mr Yatsenyuk said on Monday that the "bloody guerrillas don't allow the train to leave" the station at Torez.
But when they do, the Ukrainian government plans to send the bodies to the Netherlands.
"We are ready to transfer all the bodies directly to Amsterdam as one of the best well-equipped forensic laboratories is located in Amsterdam," the prime minister told reporters in Kiev.
The Netherlands - which lost almost 200 people on Malaysia Airlines flight 17 - will lead the investigation working with the international community and Ukrainian authorities.
Thirty-one international experts have flown to Kharkiv in Ukraine's northeast within the past few hours, including "three representatives of the Australian embassy".
There are also 23 Dutch experts, two from Germany, two from the US and one from Britain.
Mr Yatsenyuk said they were heading to the crash site but when they arrived would depend on the security situation.
"We need to secure the area and provide the humanitarian corridor to get them to the crash site."
Kharkiv is closer to the crash site than Kiev, but still within Kiev-controlled territory. It's where an international co-ordination centre is being established.
News of the planned transfer of the bodies to Amsterdam came as fresh fighting broke out in the rebel-held city of Donetsk near the crash site.
But Mr Yatsenyuk said "there is no indication of any kind of military activity or counter terrorist operation at the area of the crash site" itself.
"We do understand our responsibility because the key priority is to collect all the evidence and have a thorough investigation," he said.
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop says the Australian government is committed to returning the bodies of the victims to their families.
"This is not a time to use bodies as hostages or pawns in a Ukrainian-Russian conflict," she told reporters in Washington.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott has spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Mr Abbott told reporters Mr Putin "said all the right things" in regard to access to the site and would be held to his word.
Retired air chief marshal Angus Houston is in Ukraine leading a 45-strong Australian team which includes 20 foreign affairs staff, 20 Australian Federal Police officers, two Australian Transport Safety Bureau investigators and three Defence officials.
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