Despite tough rhetoric decrying Russia's increasing military
involvement in Ukraine, European Union leaders early on Sunday stopped
short of imposing immediate new sanctions against Moscow.
UK prime minister David Cameron said a timetable had been set out for further sanctions and warned Russia it risked being isolated if it continued to escalate the crisis in Ukraine.
"It is a deeply serious situation and we have to show real resolve, real resilience in demonstrating to Russia that if she carries on in this way the relationship between Europe and Russia, Britain and Russia, America and Russia will be radically different in the future," he said.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed concern at the "very significant inflow of troops and material from the Russian side into Ukraine," but said Germany would not be sending weapons to support the Ukrainian military at the present time.
French president Francois Hollande echoed her comments, arguing that sending military aid would be more likely to maintain the conflict than bring an end to it.
At the close of the summit on Sunday, the 28-nation bloc's heads of state and government tasked their executive body with preparatory work for tougher economic sanctions, according to summit chairman Herman Van Rompuy, the European Council President.
The fighting between the military and Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine has so far claimed 2,600 lives, according to U.N. figures.
NATO said this week that at least 1,000 Russian soldiers are in Ukraine, which Russia denies.
Another 20,000 Russian troops are amassed just across Ukraine's eastern border, NATO says.
The U.S. and the EU have so far imposed sanctions against dozens of Russian officials, several companies as well as the country's financial and arms industry.
Moscow has retaliated by banning food imports.
UK prime minister David Cameron said a timetable had been set out for further sanctions and warned Russia it risked being isolated if it continued to escalate the crisis in Ukraine.
"It is a deeply serious situation and we have to show real resolve, real resilience in demonstrating to Russia that if she carries on in this way the relationship between Europe and Russia, Britain and Russia, America and Russia will be radically different in the future," he said.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed concern at the "very significant inflow of troops and material from the Russian side into Ukraine," but said Germany would not be sending weapons to support the Ukrainian military at the present time.
French president Francois Hollande echoed her comments, arguing that sending military aid would be more likely to maintain the conflict than bring an end to it.
At the close of the summit on Sunday, the 28-nation bloc's heads of state and government tasked their executive body with preparatory work for tougher economic sanctions, according to summit chairman Herman Van Rompuy, the European Council President.
The fighting between the military and Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine has so far claimed 2,600 lives, according to U.N. figures.
NATO said this week that at least 1,000 Russian soldiers are in Ukraine, which Russia denies.
Another 20,000 Russian troops are amassed just across Ukraine's eastern border, NATO says.
The U.S. and the EU have so far imposed sanctions against dozens of Russian officials, several companies as well as the country's financial and arms industry.
Moscow has retaliated by banning food imports.
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