We'll freeze Russian billions, furious Cameron warns Putin over jet outrage and tells him: 'You have contributed to an appalling tragedy'
- Cameron spoke to Vladimir Putin this evening after three days trying
- Russian leader has ignored the Prime Minister's repeated calls to Kremlin
- Cameron attacked the 'unacceptable' shooting down on flight MH17
- He said delays blocking rescue teams and investigators 'indefensible'
- Blamed Kremlin-backed separatists for downing the Malaysian Airways flight
- PM spoke with Angela Merkel and Francois Hollande this morning
- Leaders agreed the EU needed to be prepared to hit Russia with sanctions
- European foreign ministers set to meet in Brussels on Tuesday
- PM earlier accused EU of showing lack of 'resolve' over Ukrainian crisis
- Cameron also likened crisis to Europe's appeasement of Hitler in the 1930s
- Philip Hammond said Russia had to 'dramatically' change its behaviour
David Cameron last night warned Vladimir Putin his billionaire ‘cronies’ will have their assets frozen in London unless he co-operates with the probe into Flight MH17.
The Prime Minister vented his fury at Russia’s obstruction in a 30-minute phone call – the first direct contact between the leaders since the jet was shot down with the loss of 298 lives.
He effectively blamed Russia, telling Mr Putin he had ‘contributed to an appalling tragedy’.
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Warned: Vladimir Putin was at the receiving end of a tense 30-minute rant from David Cameron over the phone three days after Flight MH17 crashed as the Prime Minister effectively blamed him for 'an appalling tragedy'
The Prime Minister likened the failure to tackle Vladimir Putin to the appeasement of Hitler in the 1930s, while Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said Russia risked becoming a 'pariah state' if it carried on arming rebels
Germany's Angela Merkel and French president Francois Hollande said they will hit Russia with fresh sanctions
And he urged him to ‘change course’
by calling off the armed thugs in eastern Ukraine thought to have been
behind the atrocity that left ten Britons dead.
Britain
is now pushing for EU sanctions against Mr Putin’s ‘crony group’ of
wealthy supporters, some of whom use London as their playground.
Downing
Street refused to comment on exactly which individuals would be
targeted, but there is speculation it could eventually include
well-known figures such as Roman Abramovich, who has close links to the
Putin regime.
No10
played down suggestions Mr Putin, who is thought to have spirited away
billions, could be personally targeted at this stage.
Sanctions
could also include an EU-wide ban on arms sales to Russia and curbs on
the ability of Russian energy firms to raise money in Europe.
Mr
Cameron, who will make a statement to the Commons on the crisis today,
told Mr Putin that Russia’s stance so far was ‘completely unacceptable’.
He urged him to
intervene immediately to ensure the victims, whose bodies have been
removed by local militias, could have proper funerals.
A
source said he told the Russian President: ‘Ten of my citizens have
just been killed in a plane brought down by a missile fired by Russian
separatists.
'I have
been asking to speak to you since this happened. You clearly can play a
role in exerting influence on the separatists to grant us access to the
site.’
Earlier, Mr Cameron said the West must ‘fundamentally change our approach to Russia’ in the wake of the crisis.
Britain
and Australia will today try to push through a UN Security Council
resolution calling for investigators to be granted immediate access.
But British sources are gloomy about its prospects after Moscow vetoed a similar call on Saturday.
Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond will travel to Brussels tomorrow to hammer out the details of new sanctions on Russia.
Armed separatists in the area around Donetsk in eastern Ukraine have refused investigators access to the site
Recovery: Ukrainian State Emergency Service employees continue to search for bodies amongst the wreckage at the crash site of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17, near the village of Grabove, 100km east of Donetsk
Mr
Cameron yesterday held talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and
French President Francois Hollande, both of whom were resisting tough
sanctions on Russia less than 24 hours before the Malaysia Airlines jet
was shot down on Thursday.
A
No10 spokesman said the two leaders agreed with Mr Cameron that ‘the EU
must reconsider its approach to Russia and that foreign ministers
should be ready to impose further sanctions’.
However,
No10 cautioned that the crisis was running faster than the Brussels
machinery can cope with – meaning that it may take some weeks before the
new sanctions regime is fully in place.
Sources stressed Mr Putin has the chance to limit the damage to Russia’s struggling economy by co-operating fully now.
A
small number of senior Russian officials have been subjected to asset
freezes and travel bans following Russia’s annexation of the Crimea
earlier this year.
Mr Hammond yesterday said these would now be widened to ‘include the so-called crony group around President Putin’.
Mr Cameron has led calls for tougher sanctions on Russia but has faced resistance from Germany's Angela Merkel. The Netherlands' Mark Rutte (right) is likely to back sanctions following last week's attack
Downing
Street said it would press for action against ‘individuals who have
influence on the Russian leadership and who have influence in terms of
financial flows’.
Mr
Hammond acknowledged that the level of sanctions being considered could
hurt London, where wealthy Russians have invested an estimated
£27billion, and said other countries must ‘share the pain’.
He said: ‘We have levers which we can apply to Russia; we can inflict damage on the Russian economy.’
In a strongly-worded article in the Sunday Times, Mr Cameron said the West could not allow Russia’s actions in Ukraine to stand.
‘This is not about military action, plainly,’ he said.
‘But
it is time to make our power, influence and resources count. Our
economies are strong, and growing in strength. And yet we sometimes
behave as if we need Russia more than Russia needs us.’
Following
Moscow’s annexation of Crimea, Alexei Navalny, a leading critic of Mr
Putin, said sanctions should target figures such as Mr Abramovich and
businessman Alisher Usmanov, who owns a major stake in Arsenal football
club.
Mr Abramovich
made no comment at the time but is understood to consider himself a
private citizen who should not face sanctions.
He is a close ally of Mr Putin and is said to enjoy ‘privileged access’ to the Russian President, but has always denied playing any political role.
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oh dear, Perth WA, Australia, 8 minutes ago
Seem to be a lot of "Russians" on here making comments, spreading propagander under alias names to make them sound like the English making these comments. I can just see Putin tapping away as Dave from Wiltshire.