It’s very rare that international sanctions conferences are held in a city that is likely to be a major target of those sanctions, but that’s how tomorrow’s planned London conference on Russia is expected to go.

 

British Premier David Cameron says he is more than willing to do serious damage to the London economy as well as Britain’s domestic defense industry so long as it means punishing Russian President Vladimir Putin.

A leaked British document from last week showed the government opposed to sanctions on Russia because of fear that it would unduly harm London, an investment haven for many Russians.

Cameron angrily condemned the upcoming Crimean referendum as “illegal and illegitimate,” and says it is vital to show Britain’s opposition to it, no matter how much damage sanctions and asset seizures do to the London economy.