UK Foreign Secretary Hague yesterday said there needed to be ‘urgent’ action to ‘stave off an even more serious economic situation’ in Ukraine.
He told the Andrew Marr show ‘we will be working with the Ukrainians and other European countries and the US and Russia’.
He was asked: ‘Are we talking to the Russians because the Ukraine could split?’
Hague replied: ‘We are talking to the Russians. This is a very important question. It’s very important for us to continue to try to persuade Russia that this need not be a zero sum game.
‘It’s in the interests of the people of Ukraine to be able to trade more freely with the European Union. It’s in the interests of the people of Russia for that to happen as well.
‘The Prime Minister spoke to President Putin about this on Thursday. I will be talking to Foreign Minister Lavrov of Russia tomorrow.
‘So we are in constant discussion with Russia and it’s very important we keep that up. Particularly if there is an economic package, it will be important that Russia doesn’t do anything to undermine that economic package and is working in cooperation and support of it.
‘So a lot of work to do with Russia over the coming days.’
Asked ‘is there any prospect at all of the Russians sending the tanks in’ Hague said: ‘Well we don’t know of course what Russia’s next reaction will be.’
When he was pressed on whether he was suggesting there could be a Russian intervention, he replied: ‘I am not suggesting that. I am really suggesting that it really would not be in the interests of Russia to do any such thing.’
