EU and NATO ready to impose tough sanctions against Russia, says Rutte

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte. File photoPARIS, Feb. 14 The European Union and NATO may impose tough sanctions against Russia in the event of an escalation around Ukraine, said Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte. «Discussed the latest developments in the alarming situation on the border of Ukraine with the head of the European Council Charles Michel and other European colleagues. The solution lies in de-escalation and diplomacy. The EU and NATO are ready to impose tough sanctions if Russia continues aggression,» Rutte wrote on Twitter. The West accuses Russia of allegedly planning to escalate the situation around Ukraine. Moscow categorically denies this and constantly says that no one is threatened, and all such statements are used as an excuse to place more NATO military equipment near Russian borders. As Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said earlier, Russia does not create any pretexts for a conflict situation around Ukraine. According to him, Russia does not rule out that the hysteria around Ukraine, hyped by the West, is aimed at covering Kiev's line of sabotaging the Minsk agreements on Donbass. According to the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov, the US and NATO information hysteria over Ukraine is generously framed by lies and fakes. In addition, the Russian Federation has repeatedly stated that it is counterproductive to talk to it in the language of sanctions.The US is dragging Ukraine to war