Lord David Cameron warned the United Nations of the consequences of withdrawing support for Ukraine in its war against Russia.
The Foreign Minister was speaking before the United Nations General Assembly in New York on the eve of the second anniversary of the invasion.
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Lord Cameron said: “After two years, I realize that some people want to rethink. There is a feeling of fatigue, there are other problems, and a compromise may seem attractive.”
“But this is wrong.
“We have to realize the cost of giving up.
Putin has said there will be no peace until Russia's goals are achieved, and in his recent interview, he steadfastly avoided emphasizing his satisfaction with territory seized from Ukraine for the time being.
“This is not a man seeking compromise, but a neo-imperialist thug who believes might is right.”
He added that if President Putin achieves “a victory, the rest of the world will suffer as well.”
Lord Cameron began his speech by saying that he warned of the dangers of Vladimir Putin in 2008, when he was leader of the opposition, and Russian forces entered South Ossetia in Georgia.
He talked about how he was prime minister in 2014 when Putin's “little green men” entered Crimea.
The Secretary of State told the United Nations: “I said that if we do not stand up to Putin, he will come back to ask for more.”
“Now that we have tried and failed to occupy all of Ukraine, the lesson of this history is clear. If we do not stand up to Putin, he will come back for more.”
He added that he believes the world is “properly starting to wake up to the Putin threat.”
Lord Cameron went on to criticize the Russian leader's “ahistorical claim” that Ukraine's existence is “anti-Russian”.
He added, “I claim that this contradicts the principle of self-determination – which is one of the foundations of the United Nations.”
The Foreign Secretary criticized Russian claims that Western countries are “in one way or another seeking to dismember Russia” – a “central lie” in the conflict where he and other leaders have spent years trying to build ties with Moscow.
“We did this because we firmly believe that a safe and stable Russia living in peace with its neighbors is in our interest and in the interest of the world,” he said.
“It is a tragedy that Putin prefers to return to the ninth century to justify aggression rather than adopt this offer with a different path.”
The Minister went on to explain why he believes “we must remain strong.”
Putin's “victory” in Ukraine “will not end there.”
Lord Cameron said: “Putin could easily apply his distortions of history elsewhere, such as Moldova or the Baltics, and others will be encouraged to resort to combat when it suits them.”
“No country with a large, aggressive neighbor will be safe.”
