Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a keynote speech at the 2014 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit in Beijing on November 10, 2014. The future risks faced by China's economy are not that scary and the government is confident it can head off the dangers, President Xi Jinping told global business leaders to dispel worries about the world's second-largest economy. UPI/Luo Xiaoguang/Pool |
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BRISBANE, Australia, Nov. 15 (UPI) -- In what was described as a frank discussion with Vladimir Putin, British Prime Minister David Cameron said the situation with Ukraine has put the West's relationship with Russia at a crossroads.
Cameron and the Russian president met for just under an hour on Saturday at the G20 summit. Word also emerged that Putin will likely depart from the summit early -- on Sunday -- missing the event's final lunch because of the persistent criticism from Western leaders.
During their meeting, Cameron demanded Moscow permit independent observers to be stationed along the country's border with Ukraine. More than 4,000 people have been killed during the conflict in Ukraine where Russia has been accused of supporting separatists by supplying soldiers and munitions.
Cameron told reporters at the summit that he and Putin have to "agree to disagree" on various issues including the Russian president's position that the uprising against the former Ukrainian president was illegitimate.
Though the meeting between Cameron and Putin provided no breakthroughs in the tensions with the West, a spokesman for the Russian president, Dmitri Peskov, said the two leaders talked about measures that could lead to "an end to confrontational attitudes."
The two-day G20 summit in Brisbane was organized with an economic agenda, but Russia and Ukraine have come to dominate the discussions -- at least outside of the official sessions.
The summit is set to conclude on Sunday.
