18 November 2014
Obama says Russia is violating pact with the Ukraine – ‘core international principles’ will be upheld
Although not a topic for the board meetings, Russia’s actions in the Ukraine spilled over into the annual G20 meeting held in Australia this year. President Obama came close to calling Russian intervention in the Ukraine an ‘invasion’ stating that they are “very firm on the need to uphold core international principles, and one of those principles is you don’t invade other countries or finance proxies and support them in ways that break up a country that has mechanisms for democratic elections.”
Mr. Obama said that Russia is violating the agreement signed with the Ukraine a few weeks ago by continuing to supply heavy arms to separatists within the region. The President said that “Western isolation” of Russia will continue if President Putin refuses to change course. Concurring that Russia is at a ‘crossroads’, Prime Minister David Cameron said there will be “further sanctions, further measures, and … a completely different relationship between European countries and America on one hand, and Russia on the other” if Russia’s destabilisation of the region did not cease.
President Putin on the other hand recalled the meetings positively stating that the work “took place in a very constructive spirit and produced results”. European foreign ministers plan to meet shortly to discuss further actions. As it stands, however, it is unclear whether the allies will issue further sanctions – “the sanctions that we have in place are biting plenty good” President Obama said.
Source: The New York Times | Obama Says Russia’s Arming of Separatists Breaks Pact With Ukraine