British Prime Minister David Cameron has stressed the need to impose sanctions on the Russian president's inner circle, the Bloomberg news agency reported on Friday.

Cameron said that it was necessary to apply tough sanctions against persons close to President Vladimir Putin, wherever they may live.

Within the EU, it is not the Ukraine, but other countries that curb the imposition of such sanctions, he said. Cameron said that in his opinion, it was unfair to impose sanctions on people just because they are Russians.

He said that the sanctions must instead be directed against those who support the Russian leader and his policies in Ukraine.