Pressure on Russia over downed plane
THE UK Government has issued a fresh request to Russia to help investigators gain access to the MH17 crash site in eastern Ukraine.
Europe Minister David Lidington urged Russian ambassador Alexander Vladimirovich Yakovenko to ensure Moscow used its influence over separatist fighters to allow experts to examine the site where the Malaysia Airlines plane was downed.
The meeting came a day after Foreign Secretary Phil i p Hammond said Russia had opted to become a pariah state over its actions in Ukraine.
Mr Lidington said: “I welcomed the ceasefire in eastern Ukraine and called on Russia to take immediate steps to end the violence for good, particularly stopping the supply of armour, weapons and personnel across the border and removing all the people and military equipment it has already delivered.
“In light of the ceasefire, I called on Russia to use its influence with separatists to ensure investigators have access to the crash site of flight MH17.”
Meanwhile David Cameron has spoken to German chancellor Angela Merkel, French president Francois Hollande, Italian prime minister Matteo Renzi and European Council president Herman Van Rompuy about plans for new sanctions against Moscow.
Energy firms and the financial sector as well as individuals linked to what has been happening in Ukraine will be targeted in this round of restrictions.
EU GOVERNMENTS have agreed new economic sanctions on Russia will take effect today but held out the prospect of cancelling some or all of them next month if they believe a peace plan is working.
EU ambassadors agreed in principle to the new sanctions last Friday but implementation was held up by a dispute over whether they should take effect now or whether the EU should give more time for a ceasefire in Ukraine to take hold.
The ambassadors agreed at a meeting in Brussels the new sanctions should take effect today. One EU diplomat said: “The ambassadors reserve the right to revise their decision at any time in response to events, on the basis of the opinions of relevant institutions.”
European Council President Herman Van Rompuy said EU officials would conduct a review before the end of September of how a peace plan was working in Ukraine and, if Russia was complying, some or all sanctions could be lifted.
He said: “If the situation on the ground so warrants officials may submit to EU leaders proposals to amend, suspend or repeal the set of sanctions in force, in all or in part.”
That enticement to Moscow to cooperate, while immediately imposing new measures, reflects impatience on the part of some leaders not to pull punches after less than a week of a truce but also concern among others, especially those most heavily dependent on Russian trade, not to provoke Moscow’s retaliation.
The breakthrough followed a phone call on Thursday involving Mr Van Rompuy, Prime Minister David Cameron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande and Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi.
Mr Cameron’s spokesman said: “If Russia genuinely reverses course then the EU and others will return to the subject but there unfortunately has been very little evidence so far and that is why you have the EU going ahead.”
Russia said it would take comparable measures in response to the new EU sanctions.