Warning President Putin About Massive Sanctions, EU: If An Attack Happens, We Are Ready

Presiden Komisi Eropa Ursula von der Leyen. (Wikimedia Commons/European Parliament)

JAKARTA - The European Union will hit Russia with "massive economic and financial sanctions" if it attacks Ukraine, the bloc's chief warned sternly on Thursday.

In a speech ahead of crisis talks between the West and Moscow, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen promised the European Union would not stand by and allow Kiev to use its own tools to counter Russia's escalating aggression.

He said Brussels was fully prepared to respond to any new attack by Russia against its former Soviet Union neighbour.

Von de Leyen said the 27-nation bloc witnessed Russia's attempts to divide and slice the European continent into parts based on influence.

Effectively, he informed Russian President Vladimir Putin of the threat of "massive economic and financial sanctions" if he went ahead with an invasion of Ukraine.

"The transatlantic community stands firm in this. We do not accept Russia's attempts to divide Europe into spheres of influence," he said, quoted by The National News on January 20.

"If an attack occurs, we are ready," said Von der Leyen, underlining the readiness of the European Union.

Von der Leyen's remarks came as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, gathered allies on Thursday as he prepared for final crisis talks with Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov.

In addition, Von der Leyen's statement came a day after Lithuania, a member of the European Union, said the presence of Russian troops in Belarus posed a "direct threat" to the Baltic nation.

Separately, French President Emmanuel Macron suggested the European Union should make its own plans, regarding "security and stability" with Russia, in a call that risks undermining western solidarity.

In a speech to the European Parliament, President Macron said the bloc's 27 member states should unite to "conduct their own dialogue" with Moscow rather than backing diplomatic efforts by the US and NATO.

"We have to build as Europeans working with other Europeans and with NATO, and then propose it for negotiations with Russia," he said Wednesday.

"It is good that Europe and the United States coordinate, but it is necessary for Europe to carry out their own dialogue," he said.