One could decide "tomorrow" about sanctions against Russia, as Chancellor Olaf Scholz put it after the most recent consultation with his European colleagues.

The package of sanctions is ready.

That was on Friday – now the case could occur.

After a day of twists and turns, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Monday evening: "Clearly, if there is an annexation, there will be sanctions.

And if there is recognition, I will put the sanctions on the table and the ministers will decide.” A few minutes later, it was reported from Moscow that Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to recognize the separatist areas in eastern Ukraine as independent states.

Thomas Gutschker

Political correspondent for the European Union, NATO and the Benelux countries based in Brussels.

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Borrell spoke after EU foreign ministers held 10 hours of deliberations, which he described as his "most intense" advice yet.

The focus was on the situation in Ukraine, and the ministers kept following the news from Moscow.

When they met in the morning, there was hope for a top-level meeting between the Russian and American presidents.

But then dark clouds gathered.

News came from Moscow that Putin was dismissing the Minsk agreement and would decide on the same day whether to recognize the so-called “people's republics”.

The actual debate on Ukraine had already started in Brussels.

Discussions continued on the sidelines.

Borrell was not instructed to threaten Moscow with sanctions if the state recognized the separatist areas, several diplomats said afterwards.

The choice of words was not coordinated.

Another said no one had specifically said they were against such action.

That seemed pretty chaotic.

The ministers were already on their way to the airport

Sanctions can only be decided unanimously in the EU.

Borrell announced that he would again convene the foreign ministers to decide.

They were already on their way to the airport.

The German head of department, Annalena Baerbock, had just arrived in Paris to provide further advice.

After his spectacular announcement, Borrell also had to leave quickly to catch the next train to the French capital.

"Let me do my job!" he shouted at the journalists, who pestered him with questions.

He only let on that much: The sanctions package that the heads of state and government agreed on last week has "certain components that can be implemented in certain gradations, depending on the degree of aggression."

Only a few insiders know exactly what is in the package.

On Sunday evening, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen gave some insight into Anne Will's talk show.

She distinguished between financial and economic sanctions.

Speaking about the financial sanctions, she said that "Russia is basically cut off from international financial markets."

This phrase usually refers to the payment service provider Swift.