Russia must not start new Cold War, says UK

British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said on Wednesday Russian President Dmitry Medvedev had a big responsibility not to start a new Cold War, which the West does not want.

Britain was among many countries to condemn Russia’s recognition of Georgia’s breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, and Miliband earlier called for an international coalition to counter it.

“Russia has not reconciled itself to the new map of this new region ... We do not want a new Cold War and he [Medvedev] has a big responsibility not to start one,” Miliband told a group of students in Ukraine’s capital, Kiev.

“We need to raise the costs to Russia for disregarding its responsibility,” he said.

“We need to re-examine the nature, depth and breadth of relations [with Russia],” he said.

He said Russia had failed to live up to the terms of the ceasefire it signed.

Earlier, German Chancellor Angela Merkel told Medvedev the presence of Russian troops in parts of Georgia was a grave violation of the ceasefire deal.

The United States has said that Moscow was risking its membership in global clubs like the World Trade Organisation and Group of Eight nations.

Russia’s military launched an overwhelming counter-attack earlier this month after Georgia tried to regain control of South Ossetia by force and Moscow’s troops are still occupying parts of Georgian territory.—Reuters