A leader of the European Union let it be known that Europe is planning to tighten economic sanctions against Russia “within a week” in light of the nation’s recent activities within the borders of Ukraine. The Russian military is currently believed to be supplying pro-Russia rebels with weapons and even sending Russian citizens to fight against the Ukrainian government.
Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia was reported to have warned Europe and the United States that the situation might turn into a full-scale war if not handled with care. He even “reminded” the western world that Russia is a nation that is heavily armed with nuclear weapons and that the Russian government will not hesitate to use its weapons to defend its borders from a preemptive strike from either Europe or the United States.
An E.U. Summit Meeting was hosted Brussels, Belgium. CNN reported that Herman Van Rompuy, the European Council President said, "The European Council says that it stands ready to take further significant steps in the light of the evolution of the situation on the ground and it requests the commission to urgently undertake preparatory work ... and present proposals for consideration within a week." It has been reported that representatives of both France and Germany have also agreed on the policy to tighten the pressure on Russia to deter its activity in Ukraine.
British Prime Minister David Cameron and the United States government also expressed support for the European Council’s new foreign policies against Russia. Prime Minister Cameron told BBC that Europe is facing "a completely unacceptable situation of having Russian troops on Ukrainian soil. Consequences must follow if that situation continues."
A White House spokesperson said that, "We welcome the European Council's consensus today to show strong support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity and to prepare further sanctions for consideration in coming days."
Even now, the European has existing sanctions in place against Russia. These include asset freezes and travel bans on senior Russian government officials and Ukrainian separatist leaders. There are even banking restrictions that ban loans to be taken from Russian banks.
Petro Poroshenko, the president of Ukraine has expressed that the possibility of a full-scale war with Russia cannot be ruled out. "I think we are very close to the point of no return. The point of no return is full-scale war." told the press after the E.U. summit talks in Brussels, Belgium.
Meanwhile, it is believed that there are at least 1,000 Russian soldiers who have been dispatched to fight against the Ukrainian government and assist the pro-Russian officials. Yonhap News reported that at a conference with other European representatives President Putin had made a statement that Russia could occupy Kiev (the capital of Ukraine) within the next two weeks.
