25 Mar 2014

No G8 summit for Russia - Cameron

2:55 pm on 25 March 2014

The G8 summit will not take place in Russia this year, British Prime Minister David Cameron says.

Speaking in the Netherlands, Mr Cameron said it was "absolutely clear" the planned June meeting of world leaders in the Russian resort of Sochi would not happen owing to events in Ukraine, the BBC reported.

The European Union and the United States have imposed sanctions on Russian officials after Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.

Moscow has also been warned of further action if it does not change course.

The announcement that the Sochi meeting had been effectively cancelled came after Russian troops seized control of the last major military base in Crimea.

Mr Cameron, US President Barack Obama and other G8 leaders are attending a nuclear co-operation summit in The Hague, to which Russian President Vladimir Putin was not invited.

"We should be clear there's not going to be a G8 summit in Russia," Mr Cameron said, urging Russia to "change course".

The G7 leaders plus EU representatives issued a declaration after their meeting in The Hague noting that "international law prohibits the acquisition of part or all of another state's territory through coercion or force".