EU hopes to avoid Ukraine war with talks, sanctions threat

By RAF CASERT
Associated Press

BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union leaders are holding a summit focused on preventing a Russian military invasion of neighboring Ukraine. A Russian troop buildup on Ukraine’s border took center stage at the summit of the EU’s 27 leaders on Thursday after Ukraine’s president pleaded for more sanctions to be imposed on Russia before any possible incursion instead of after. Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said the EU should not underestimate the threat Russia’s troop buildup poses, adding that he sees Moscow’s actions as creating the worst security situation since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Meanwhile, Russia said it submitted draft documents to the United States outlining security arrangements that would preclude NATO’s expansion to Ukraine.