Foreign and defense ministers from the European Union are meeting in Brussels to discuss more sanctions on Russia for its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. The ministers from the bloc's 27 members are also discussing emergency aid and military cooperation during their March 21 meeting.
A decision on further sanctions "is going to dominate and it's not going to be easy," an EU diplomat said ahead of the meeting, with the divisive question of a ban on Russian energy imports still unresolved.
The meeting comes ahead of a flurry of contacts between Western allies over Ukraine: An EU summit, a NATO summit, and G7 talks are all planned for later in the week.
Poland and the Baltic states are pushing for tougher sanctions including an EU ban on Russian oil and gas imports. However, Germany, which is heavily dependent on Russian gas, and some other EU member states are resisting.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on March 21 that Europe would be hit hard in the event of an embargo on Russian oil, striking the continent's energy balance.
Poland also wants more emphasis on NATO in a common defense strategy, EU diplomats told the dpa news agency.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov is to brief the EU ministers on the current situation in the conflict. Moldova's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Nicu Popescu is also attending.
