European Parliament will penalize Russia over Ukraine

European Union's foreign ministers have agreed to take tougher measures against Russia over its actions in Ukraine.

Catherine Ashton -  The EU foreign policy chief - said there would be more visa bans and more people would have their assets frozen.

“We condemn unreservedly the actions by armed individuals in the cities of eastern Ukraine. These attempts at destabilising Ukraine must stop”, Ashton said.

“We strongly support the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. We call upon Russia to do so as well, to pull back its troops from the Ukrainian border. Any further actions aimed at destabilising Ukraine have to stop”, added Ashton.

This announcement has the purpose to send a message to Russian leaders, rather than damage Russia’s economy.

It follows a similar threat by the US to take tougher action over Moscow’s stance in Ukraine.