EU leaders have issued a warning against Russia that any military action against Ukraine will lead to “severe consequences”. It has warned Russia amid the tensions of the building up of Russian forces on the Ukrainian border.
The statement, which followed the European Council summit of the year in Brussels, also mentioned possible “restrictive measures” against Russia, although no further information has been provided.
The EU, on the other hand, has called for greater use of diplomacy with Moscow. The Russian government denies having any aggressive intentions.
According to Western intelligence sources, as many as 100,000 Russian troops are amassed near Ukraine’s borders.
Ukraine has accused Russia of preparing a military offensive at the end of January, though US government officials said it’s unclear if Putin has made a call.
After the meeting, Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission’s president, said that Europe was prepared to impose further penalties on Russia.
The EU’s present limitations were implemented in response to Russia’s annexation of the Crimean region from Ukraine in 2014.
What the threatened sanctions package may contain is unknown at this time. A new gas pipeline from Russia to Germany that is not yet operational, Nord Stream 2, has drawn the attention of European countries.
It appears that Russia could be disconnected from the Swift global financial payment system as well.
The heads also backed the restoration of a four-way dialogue known as the Normandy format, which involves Paris, Berlin, Kyiv, and Moscow.