EU to vote on Russia sanctions in the Ukraine stand-off

The EU said that it could vote on Russian sanctions unless something is done to de-escalate the issue.

15:30 05 March 2014

With the United States threatening sanctions due to the Russia and Ukraine standoff, the EU has confirmed that it may vote on Russian sanctions unless something is done to de-escalate the issue.

The announcement came amid Russian President Vladimir Putin’s military threat to Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Putin has previously said that sanctions from super power Western countries against Russia would be counter-productive. Also, Moscow has said that it will “do everything to prevent bloodshed” in Ukraine as the crisis continues in the country.

Speaking at a news briefing in Madrid, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that they would like to see a de-escalation in tensions while adding that "nobody has the right to be angry with Russia".

Lavrov was scheduled to meet with US Secretary of State John Kerry in Paris to discuss the ongoing tension while US President Barack Obama talked about a plan to end the crisis with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. He said: "We may be able to de-escalate over the next several days and weeks. It's a serious situation and we are spending a lot of time on it."