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EU leaders on Thursday talked over attainable sanctions ought to Russia take additional army motion in Ukraine, at an impromptu summit held in Brussels. European Council President Charles Michel tweeted that he spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky simply earlier than chairing the summit, which was extra an data and coordination session than one leading to any choices. “Intently following the state of affairs on the bottom. Deescalation is urgently wanted,” Michel stated, reiterating EU “solidarity” with Ukraine.
European Fee chief Ursula von der Leyen addressed the casual summit, which was introduced only a day earlier, to offer solely a short define of potential sanctions the EU might impose on Russia.
Contributors emphasised that the European Union is able to act swiftly if Russia additional invades or assaults Ukraine.
“The necessary factor is that, in case of invasion, the West is able to reply in a needed and sturdy means so it may be seen that one other nation can’t be invaded with out massive prices being imposed,” Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen stated.
Finland’s Prime Minister Sanna Marin stated there was nonetheless hope {that a} diplomatic resolution would prevail. “However in fact we’re on the identical time making ready very heavy, very huge sanctions,” she stated.
A fee spokesman burdened that any EU sanctions could be “reactive”, in response to no matter motion Russia may take, in order that they weren’t publicly outlined at this stage.
The EU, just like the US, is treating with warning Russia’s declarations that it’s pulling again troops from an enormous deployment it has despatched to Ukraine’s borders.
“These occasions that appeared to announce a de-escalation are at the moment not being taken significantly and subsequently we should stay ready for any eventuality,” Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi stated earlier than becoming a member of the summit.
He stated the EU wanted “to maintain our deterrence technique agency, present no weaknesses”.
He additionally stated “the objective is to get President (Vladimir) Putin and President Zelensky to take a seat across the identical desk” in current codecs involving European powers to barter a peaceable consequence.
An EU spokesman, Peter Stano, advised journalists that the fee was preserving a lid on attainable sanctions.
“Earlier than something occurs we can’t focus on sanctions as a result of we can be simply speculating concerning the potential crime to which we’re going to react,” he stated.
After their impromptu assembly, EU leaders had been to start a two -ay summit with African counterparts, in search of to reboot ties with pledges of main funding within the face of competitors from China and Russia.
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