Cameron: We won’t start World War Three over Ukraine
The British Prime Minister, David Cameron, has said Britain was not going to "launch a European war or send the fleet to the Black Sea" over the Ukraine crisis, applying economic pressure instead.
Mr. Cameron, was addressing a Q&A session with staff at the headquarters of United Utilities in Warrington when he said that the West had to stand up to Russia.
The Prime Minister alluded to the lessons the UK learnt dealing with Germany’s aggression in Europe before the first and second world wars.
“This year we are commemorating the 100 anniversary of the First World War and that war was about the right of a small country Belgium not to be trampled on by its neighbors.”
“We had to learn that lesson all over again in the Second World War when the same thing happened to Poland, Czechoslovakia and other countries. In a way this is what we are seeing today in Europe,” he said.
Cameron said that Ukraine’s territorial integrity is recognized by the United Nations and that it has a right for its integrity not to be compromised by Russia.
“There is no doubt in my mind that it is Russian money, it is Russian people, it is Russian weapons that are being sent into that county to help the separatists fight their battle against the Ukrainian government,” said the PM.
Cameron said that the shooting down of Malaysian flight MH17 was a wakeup call and although there was no absolute proof, the circumstantial evidence suggests local militias fired the missile.
In light of this, the US and the EU should use the economic power that they have, said Cameron, referring to the imposition of sanctions against the Russian economy, a further wave of which was announced by the EU and the US Tuesday.
"We are not about to launch a European war, we are not about to send the fleet to the Black Sea, we are not looking for a military confrontation, but what we should do is use the economic power that we have," Cameron said.
The Prime Minister added that he thought the economic pressure would work because “in the end Russia needs Europe and America more than America and Europe need Russia.”
