MOSCOW, July 21 (RIA Novosti) – British Prime Minister David Cameron said Monday that the European Union may toughen existing sanctions against Russia if Moscow doesn’t change its stance on Ukraine, according to Reuters.
"Russia needs to know that action will follow if there isn't a radical change in the way they behave," the agency quoted Cameron as saying.
"The EU will be ready to take further steps," the prime minister added.
Further sanctions may focus on advanced industrial goods that might have dual use for defense purposes, according to Cameron.
Last week Cameron announced that Russia would bear responsibility for the crash of Malaysia Airlines MH17 flight in eastern Ukraine in case it was proved that the plane had been shot down by independence supporters.
On Sunday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a phone conversation with Cameron that it is vital to abstain from making hasty conclusions and politicized statements before international investigation into the Malaysia Airlines plane crash in eastern Ukraine is completed.
Putin extended condolences to Cameron over the death of ten UK nationals in the Malaysia Airlines' MH17 crash, stressing that this tragedy was brought about by the ongoing military standoff in eastern Ukraine.
The Malaysia Airlines plane with 298 people on board, including 15 crew members, crashed on July 17 near the town of Torez in Ukraine’s Donetsk region.
Ukrainian government and militia have been trading blame for the alleged downing of the airliner ever since reports suggested foul play, with independence supporters saying they have no required technology to shoot a target at altitude of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles).
The Russian Defense Ministry said Ukraine’s military had deployed a number of Buk missile systems in the area as part of its "anti-terrorist" operation, with at least 27 launchers capable of bringing down high-flying planes stationed in the Donetsk region at the time of the MH17 crash.
