On Thursday 16 December, the European Council threatened Russia with sanctions, if it again militarily aggresses Ukraine, as more than 70,000 Russian troops are reportedly amassed on the border with Ukrainian territory.
“Any further military aggression against Ukraine will have massive consequences and severe cost in response, including restrictive measures coordinated with partners”, EU leaders warned in their conclusions, which were adopted during “long and extremely useful and intense” exchanges, according to European Council President Charles Michel.
However, no details on what these measures might be were disclosed.
“In case of aggression, we are prepared”, added European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, while the Slovenian Prime Minister, Janek Janša, said Europeans should be prepared to “avoid the kind of surprises encountered” during the annexation of Crimea.
The European Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs were mandated by the European Council in June to work on different options and potential restrictive measures against Moscow (see EUROPE 12748/2).
According to the Lithuanian President, Gitanas Nausėda, the EU has enough tools to stop Russia and “its aggressive behaviour”. “We need to consider a range of sanctions. The important thing is that the EU and the West dissuade Russia from resorting to military escalation”, added the Latvian Prime Minister, Arturs Karins.
Beyond the content of the sanctions, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer also questioned the timing of their use.
Mrs von der Leyen also said that coordination with international partners, including the United States, was ongoing.
In its conclusions, the European Council therefore stresses the “urgent” need for Moscow to de-escalate tensions caused by its military build-up along the Russian-Ukrainian border and its aggressive rhetoric.
The meeting was also, according to Mr Michel, an opportunity to “show the EU’s unwavering, full and complete unity in expressing its solidarity for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine”.
In their conclusions, the leaders also encourage diplomatic efforts and support the Normandy format (France-Germany-Ukraine-Russia) in achieving the full implementation of the Minsk agreements.
According to French President Emmanuel Macron, Russia must be re-engaged “within a political framework”, that of the Normandy Format, “the only one allowing the Ukrainian issue to be resolved”. “This is what we want to move forward on in the coming weeks”, he said.
In addition, the leaders agreed to a six-month extension of economic sanctions against Russia. These were first adopted in the summer of 2014 and since then, have always been renewed.
NATO calls for calm
In parallel to the European summit, the North Atlantic Council issued a statement calling on Russia to “immediately de-escalate, pursue diplomatic channels, and abide by its international commitments on transparency of military activities”. It also warned that “any further aggression against Ukraine would have massive consequences and would carry a high price”.
The North Atlantic Council also rejected Russia’s “false” allegations that Ukraine and NATO were engaging in provocations.
Announcing that NATO would continue to work in close coordination with the parties concerned and with other international organisations, including the EU, the organisation said that it was ready for a meaningful dialogue with Russia.
See the European Council conclusions (https://bit.ly/3E6yKa2 ) and the NATO declaration (https://bit.ly/3GKZcI2 ). (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant with the editorial staff)