The Americans and the Europeans want to persuade Moscow to open a dialogue with the new government in Kiev and also to withdraw its forces in Crimea to their bases and allow in international monitors.

An emergency summit of EU leaders agreed a tougher than expected, three-phase package of punitive measures – some immediate and some threatened – to persuade Moscow to enter talks with the new government in Ukraine. The EU move against Russian interests was accompanied by similar moves from the US.

Under the terms of the agreement reached in Brussels, negotiations with Moscow on new visa and trade deals with the EU are to be broken off immediately, while the US government approved a tough package of measures – visa restrictions and possible asset seizures.