The European Union said it was too soon to consider imposing sanctions on Russia for the bombing of rebel-held areas of Syria, while maintaining the threat of action if Russian President Vladimir Putin doesn't back down.
After the first of two days of talks in Brussels, EU leaders said "all available options" remain on the table, without mentioning sanctions specifically, after they clashed Thursday over using more pointed language. While the United Kingdom, France and Germany wanted to take a harsher tone with Russia, Italy's Prime Minister Matteo Renzi led those countries who opposed the move.
Russia's aggression in Syria has brought its relationship with the West to a new low. With ties already worse than at any time since the Cold War because of Putin's annexation of Crimea and violent interference in eastern Ukraine, the Kremlin's support of the Syrian regime has raised tensions further and exposed divisions in the EU.
"It's clear that Russia's strategy is to weaken the EU -- we have no illusions," the bloc's president, Donald Tusk, told reporters early Friday. "Increasing tensions with Russia is not our aim; we are simply reacting to steps taken by Russia."
EU leaders met amid growing international condemnation of the bombing of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, where some 275,000 inhabitants remain trapped. Syria's government opened two crossings for fighters who want to leave the rebel-held eastern part of the city, after announcing a three-day humanitarian pause in its offensive. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Thursday that Aleppo will run out of food by the end of the month.
The EU has added progressively tougher sanctions on Russia since March 2014 for its involvement in Ukraine, including broad economic restrictions, as well as travel bans and asset freezes on individuals and companies. While leaders were not planning to make any decisive steps toward additional sanctions at the summit, the final communique represents a watering down of more specific threats contained in their draft text.
Though the communique kept all alternatives alive, Renzi questioned the likelihood of fresh sanctions.
"I believe that the statements approved in the final document say we need to use all possible pressures to reach an accord in Syria," Renzi told reporters early Friday. "It is difficult to imagine that this could involve further sanctions against Russia."
Poland openly disagreed. The summit's conclusions are "unequivocal," Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Konrad Szymanski told reporters in Brussels on Friday.
"All options cover sanctions, various tools limiting Russia in relation to what is happening in Syria today," Szymanski said. A "lack of change to Russian behavior in Syria will cause us to return to this topic very quickly."
Earlier Thursday, the U.K said it was monitoring Russian warships sailing past the U.K.'s eastern coast to the Mediterranean Sea. Russia's Northern Fleet, based at Severomorsk near the Finnish border, said last week that a naval group had set out for the northeast Atlantic "to ensure naval presence in the important areas" of the seas, according to the TASS news agency.
British Prime Minister Theresa May outlined three distinct threats posed by Russia in remarks to her fellow leaders, according to a British official speaking on condition of anonymity because the talks are private. Russia endangers democratic values and institutions, is behaving aggressively in eastern Europe and has engaged in "appalling" actions in bombing Aleppo, May said.
"At this stage, there are no sanctions linked to the Russian intervention in Syria," French President Francois Hollande said. "If there are new massacres, bombing, we'll need to start by sanctioning the Syrians who are responsible; if it continues bombing, Russia will also expose itself to a response from the EU, but we're not there yet."
Information for this article was contributed by Ewa Krukowska of The Washington Post.
A Section on 10/22/2016