Amid concerns over the build-up of Russian soldiers on the Ukrainian border, European leaders are poised to warn Russia that unfriendly action against Ukraine could come at a “high price.”
The statement, which will be agreed upon at a European Council meeting in Brussels, will be the West’s latest warning against Russian aggression.
The Kremlin has denied that it intends to attack.
Meanwhile, Russia has laid out its requests to the US for security guarantees.
Up to 100,000 Russian troops are believed to be massed near Ukraine’s borders, according to Western intelligence services. According to Ukrainian officials, Moscow may be planning a military operation by the end of January, while US officials say it’s unclear whether President Putin has made a decision.
On Wednesday, the chief of the European Commission, which is the EU executive, again urged Russia to de-escalate tensions. Ursula von der Leyen said additional sanctions had already been prepared, targeting “all the different fields you might think of”.
“[T]he message is very clear: should Russia take further aggressive actions against Ukraine, the costs will be severe and the consequences serious,” she said.
It is not yet clear what the threatened sanctions package might include. One of the possible targets is Nord Stream 2, a new gas pipeline from Russia to Germany not yet in operation.
Her comment came after French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz sought to revive talks with Russia, as they met the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, in Brussels.
President Zelensky said he would prefer sanctions to be imposed immediately, before Russia acts, adding that measures after an escalation of hostilities “no longer interest anyone”.
Earlier, Mr Scholz said the situation on the Russian-Ukrainian border was of “great concern”, and that any “violation of territorial integrity will have a price, a high price”.
Also on Wednesday, Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov handed over a list of proposals for European security to US Assistant Secretary of State Karen Donfried, who was in Moscow for talks.
Russia wants legally biding guarantees against eastward Nato expansion and deployment of weapons close to its border. Nato says its activities are defensive and that no country can veto Ukraine’s hopes of joining the alliance.
Ukraine shares borders with both the EU and Russia but has deep social and cultural ties with Russia. Russia, meanwhile, has accused Ukraine of provocation.
