LONDON: Britain has said it has learned its lesson from the previous world wars and will not start World War III over Ukraine.

Comparing Russia’s behaviour in Ukraine to Germany’s before the previous two world wars, British Prime Minister David Cameron said “we have seen an appalling loss of life and we have to ask ourselves — what more can we do? We are not about to launch a European war, we are not about to send the fleet to the Black Sea, we are not looking for a military confrontation, but what we should do is use the economic power that we have.”

According to Britain, Russia’s annexation of Crimea and intervention in Ukraine is similar to what happened in Belgium before WW1 and Poland in WW2.

Cameron said “This year we are commemorating the 100th anniversary of WW1 and that war was about the right of a small country Belgium, not to be trampled on by its neighbours. We had to learn that lesson all over again in WW2 when the same thing happened to Poland and Czechoslovakia. In way, this is what we are seeing today in Europe.”

Calling Ukraine a country recognized by the United Nations which “has a right not to have its territorial integrity impugned by Russia”, Cameron added, “Yet that is what we are seeing. There is no doubt in my mind that it is Russian money, it is Russian people, it is Russian weapons that are being sent in to that country to help the separatists fight their battle against the Ukrainian government. We saw the tragic result of that with the shooting down of MH17, the Malaysian airlines flight. We can’t be 100% certain yet that it was a separatist firing a Russian built weapon but it looks by far the most likely explanation.”

Cameron warned that if the international community failed to act against Russia now, “they would be destabilizing countries in the Baltic states, destabilising Romania and the neighbours of Russia will start to feel the pressure of what Vladimir Putin is doing”.

Economic sanctions, which have been piling up on Russia, is the only way forward according to Cameron because “in the end Russia needs Europe and America more than America and Europe need Russia”.