The leaders of Britain, France and Germany called on Thursday the European Union (EU) to assume tougher restrictive measures against Russia.

French President Francois Hollande suggested the EU to suspend "political ties" with Russia, referring to the canceling of the EU-Russia summit in June.

"We must also map out other sanctions if there is an escalation," Hollande told media when he arrived the for the EU summit in Brussels.

British Prime Minister David Cameron urged the EU leaders to put more person on the EU sanction list against Russia with asset freezes and visa bans. He said the EU need to speak with a "clear and united voice" towards Russia.

Cameron also called upon the 28-member bloc to "do everything we can to help build a strong and democratic Ukraine."

German Chancellor Angela Merkel told media ahead of the EU summit that the EU is ready to introduce economic sanctions with a further "escalation".

The Russian State Duma, or the lower house of the parliament, approved Thursday a federal law on the accession of the Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, where the Russian Black Sea fleet is based.

Ukraine's Autonomous Republic of Crimea held a referendum Sunday with 96.6 percent of voters opting to join Russia. Endi

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)