On 26 January 2015, leaders from all 28 EU countries expressed concern about the “deteriorating security and humanitarian situation in eastern Ukraine” and condemned the killing of civilians during the “indiscriminate shelling” of Ukrainian city Mariupol on 24 January 2015. The European heads of state called on the EU to “assess the situation” and to consider “further restrictive measures.”
Foreign ministers will meet at an emergency meeting on Thursday 29 January to discuss further punitive measures. The final decision on whether to implement new sanctions would be taken by EU leaders at their summit on 12 February.
During a news conference in Brussels on 26 January, US Treasury Secretary Jack Lew said that the US would co-ordinate any new sanctions with the EU and warned Russia that both the US and the EU had “more tools” at its disposal to increase pressure on Russia over Ukraine.
