Foreign Secretary concerned about situation in eastern Ukraine
8 Apr 2014 04:08 PM
The Foreign Secretary William Hague has
expressed grave concern about Crimea and recent events in the east of
Ukraine.
Speaking after answering questions on Ukraine in the
House of Commons, the Foreign Secretary said:
The
UK government is gravely concerned about the situation in Crimea and in the
east of Ukraine, where armed groups seized government buildings in Donetsk,
Kharkiv and Lugansk. There can be no justification for this action, which bears
all the hallmarks of a Russian strategy to destabilise Ukraine. Russia should
be clear that a deliberate and further escalation of the crisis will bring
serious political and economic consequences. I commend the Ukrainian Government
for their clear and determined response so far.
The
European Council has asked the Commission to draw up far reaching sanctions in
the event of further escalation by Russia. It is alarming that President Putin
has already sought authority to send armed forces into any part of Ukraine.
Russia should be clear that the UK will consider any armed Russian presence in
eastern Ukraine as a further and deliberate escalation.
We
will be assessing events in eastern Ukraine carefully over the coming days. The
strength and unity of the EU is vital for upholding a rules-based international
system, and the Prime Minister and I have stressed to European partners the
need to accelerate measures that will reduce European dependence on Russian
gas. We are also convening an urgent meeting of G7 energy Ministers to discuss
energy security ahead of the G7 Summit in June.
Further information
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