EU emphasizes importance that Russia defuse tensions with Ukraine

athens, greece EuropeanUnion foreign ministers Saturday stressed the need for Russia to defuse tensions with Ukraine after a two-day informal meeting that ended with leaders insisting that all options remain on the table, including further sanctions.

Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt stressed the need for resolve in dealing with Russia after it annexed the Crimean peninsula last month, arguing that Russia had deviated from accepted norms. Unity among the 28 member states was critical.

“We should be very firm on international law and the rules thatmust apply,” he said.

Bildt took it a step further, underscoring Western unease with the Crimean referendum, which was called just two weeks after Russian forces had overtaken the Ukrainian region. Ukraine and theWest have rejected the vote and the annexation.

Bildt, who served as a mediator in the Balkan conflict, said outsiders must start thinking about Russia’s motives in the complex interplay of faith and power.

“I think it’s pretty clear that Russia has changed in the last few years,” he told reporters outside the session in Greece. “There is a new political mentality, at least from the Kremlin. They are intending to build up … an Orthodox bastion against theWest.”

Speaking just before the meeting got underway Friday, British Foreign SecretaryWilliam Hague urged EU partners to develop stricter sanctions for possible use against Russia should they become necessary. The EU has so far imposed sanctions against individuals.