British Prime Minister David Cameron. UPI/John Angelillo |
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MILAN, Italy, Oct. 17 (UPI) -- British Prime Minister David Cameron said Friday economic sanctions against Russia would not stop until Russia fully complies with a Ukrainian peace plan.
He spoke after a breakfast meeting at a Milan, Italy, summit that included Russian President Vladimir Putin, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and other work leaders and European Union officials.
"It was a positive meeting because it was with both the president of Russia and the president of Ukraine and Vladimir Putin said very clearly that he doesn't want a frozen conflict; he doesn't want a divided Ukraine. But if that's the case then Russia now needs to take the actions to put in place all that's been agreed: getting Russian troops out of Ukraine, getting heavy weapons out of Ukraine and respecting all the written agreements and only recognizing one legitimate set of Ukrainian elections. And if those things don't happen then clearly the European Union, Britain included, must keep in place the sanctions and the pressure so that we don't have this sort of conflict in our continent."
Putin later called the meeting positive, but a Kremlin spokesman referred to the "non-flexible, non-diplomatic" approach of "certain participants."
The ASEM summit of Asian and European leaders has been seen as an opportunity for diplomacy on Putin's part and a chance to clarify Russia's position on Ukraine, the sale of natural gas to European countries and other matters. It got off to a slow start when he canceled a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel late Thursday. Putin and Merkel did have a meeting later, a Russian spokesman said.
Putin also briefly met with an old friend, former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, and Poroshenko said his meeting with Putin led to agreement on three points regarding Ukraine.
Poroshenko said the Sept. 6 Minsk Memorandum regarding a cease-fire would be followed, elections in the Donetsk region would be held according to Ukrainian law, and the main outline of gas contracts between Ukraine and Russia would be adhered to. Merkel and French President Francois Hollande also participated in the talks.
