EU FMs in Brussels to discuss crisis in Ukraine

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The possibility of ruling out a war scenario will be at the top of the agenda in a gathering of EU foreign ministers on Monday in Brussels.

At the beginning of the meeting, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba will join his EU counterparts to inform them of the situation and coordinate their response.

The EU has prepared "hard-hitting" and "substantial sanctions" that "are intended to weaken the Russian economy" in case Moscow decides to use aggression against Ukraine, a senior EU official, speaking under the condition of anonymity, said ahead of the ministerial meeting.

The source confirmed that the bloc developed the sanctions package in cooperation with "like-minded countries" to take similar action and "reinforce each other."

On his part, Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio confirmed that there is room for a diplomatic solution to the Ukrainian crisis amid the escalation between the West and Russia.

It is noteworthy that relations between Russia and the United States are tense due to accusations of an alleged Russian attack on Ukraine, while Russia repeatedly denied these accusations through its officials, saying that its deployment of military forces within its territory and on its borders is its right, and no one should fabricate the situation.

The Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, revealed that the letter addressed to the United States on security guarantees clearly indicates that "Russia does not intend to attack Ukraine."

At the same time, the Donbass region is witnessing a military escalation, as the police in the Luhansk People's Republic announced the killing of two civilians as a result of an attack by Ukrainian security forces.

Moreover, the situation in Donbass intensified after the Ukrainian forces violated the Minsk agreements and the ceasefire agreement.