PM to urge tougher Russia sanctions
David Cameron is to push for tougher EU sanctions against Russia after Moscow was accused of deploying more than 1,000 troops and an arsenal of weapons into Ukraine.
The Prime Minister will urge fellow European leaders to ratchet up the pressure when they meet for a summit in Brussels later.
He will also seek deeper coordination within the union to combat the growing threat from Islamic State (IS) jihadists returning from Syria and Iraq.
The gathering – originally convened to negotiate the top posts in new commission president Jean-Claude Juncker’s team – comes after Nato released images apparently showing the extent of Russian forces on the ground in the eastern Ukraine.
UK Government sources said they believed the separatists now had an array of heavy weaponry supplied by President Vladimir Putin, including 100 battle tanks, 100 artillery pieces, anti-tank weapons and shoulder-mounted missile launchers.
As tensions escalated further, Ukrainian prime minister Arseny Yatseniuk has said he will ask parliament to abandon the country’s non-aligned status and seek to join Nato – a move that Russia has previously dismissed as unacceptable.
The military alliance’s secretary general, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, appeared to signal a tougher line by insisting it would “fully respect” any membership bid by Kyiv.
Mr Rasmussen told a press conference: “Despite Moscow’s hollow denials, it is now clear that Russian troops and equipment have illegally crossed the border into eastern and south-eastern Ukraine.
“Russian forces are engaged in direct military operations inside Ukraine.”
US president Barack Obama has said the satellite pictures made it “plain for the world to see” that Moscow had “deliberately and repeatedly violated the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine”.
But Mr Putin blamed the Ukrainian army, likening them to Nazi soldiers who targeted residential areas in the former Soviet Union.
He insisted Russians and Ukrainians were “practically one people”. And he also hinted at a widening of the dispute with the West to the resource-rich Arctic.
“Our interests are concentrated in the Arctic. And of course we should pay more attention to issues of development of the Arctic and the strengthening of our position,” Mr Putin said.
The escalating crisis is set to be discussed by EU leaders in Brussels this evening, and Mr Cameron is expected to urge counterparts to demonstrate political will to ratchet up the sanctions regime – although details of measures are unlikely to be finalised.
He will also call for closer alignment between EU sanctions and those imposed by the US and Canada – raising the prospect of measures against specific Russian firms in sectors such as banking and energy.
After warning yesterday that extremism in Iraq and Syria poses a greater danger to Britain than al Qaida, Mr Cameron will urge more coordinated European action to track jihadists.
The UK wants to revive a directive that would enable police and security services across the EU to share passenger records. National leaders had signed off the arrangements – but they have stalled in the European Parliament after MEPs expressed concern about civil liberties and privacy.
Mr Cameron is expected to hold face-to-face talks with Mr Juncker – whose appointment he fought to block – before the summit begins. He will press him to hand the UK’s nominee to serve on the commission, Lord Hill of Oareford, a major economic portfolio.
However, the full 28 commission posts are not due to be finalised – with the main focus on the two most senior roles of President of the European Council and High Representative. Britain has not been lobbying for either post, and is thought to be supporting candidates from newer states such as Poland.