The Foreign Secretary spoke with Ukraine’s Acting Prime Minister Yatsenyuk this morning to assure him of the UK’s support for Ukraine ahead of the United Nations General Assembly Resolution on Thursday. He also reiterated the G7’s commitment that the G8 in Sochi will not go ahead without Russia demonstrating that it is taking steps to de-escalate the situation and to further G7 work on long-term energy policy. The Foreign Secretary also took the opportunity to commend Acting Prime Minister Yatsenyuk on the restraint shown by the Ukrainian defence forces in the face of great provocation.

The Foreign Secretary welcomed the meeting between Russian and Ukrainian Foreign Ministers in The Hague yesterday. He said the UK continues to urge the Russian Government to enter into direct talks with the Ukrainian Government, in order to resolve this dispute peacefully. He also made clear that the UK would send a clear, strong, consistent message to Russia, and that European nations had made clear that they would respond with another round of wide-ranging measures if there is any further destabilisation in Ukraine by Russia.