The United Kingdom wants the European Union to make sure its sanctions against Russia are comprehensive and show unity between Europe and the United States, UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said in a speech at the US Institute of Peace on Tuesday.
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st August, 2018) The United Kingdom wants the European Union to make sure its sanctions against Russia are comprehensive and show unity between Europe and the United States, UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said in a speech at the US Institute of Peace on Tuesday.
"Today the United Kingdom asks its allies to go further by calling on the European Union to ensure its sanctions against Russia are comprehensive and that we truly stand shoulder to shoulder with the US," Hunt said "This means calling out and responding to transgressions with one voice wherever and whenever they occur, from the streets of Salisbury to the heart of Crimea."
Hunt said that Russian foreign policy has made the world a more dangerous place, and the only way to counter Russian President Vladimir Putin's aggressive and malign behavior is to maintain a strong alliance between countries that share the same values.
Countries like Russia need to know there will be a serious price to pay for violations such as chemical weapons and interfering in Crimea, Hunt added.
Last week the Russian Foreign Ministry said any attempts to question Moscows compliance with its chemical weapons commitments are unacceptable. The Kremlin said numerous times that it did not have any connection to the nerve agent attack on former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury, England.
Crimea seceded from Ukraine and rejoined Russia in spring 2014 when over 97 percent of the peninsulas residents voted in favor of reunification in a referendum. The reunification was not recognized by Ukraine or Western nations, which subsequently imposed economic and political sanctions on Moscow. Russia has repeatedly said that the referendum in Crimea was conducted in compliance with international law.
