EU countries have given Russia and pro-Russia forces in Ukraine until Monday (30 June) to meet four conditions or face extra sanctions.

They said at a summit in Brussels on Friday the rebels must: give full access to international monitors; give control of border checkpoints back to Kiev; release all hostages; and “launch substantial negotiations” on a peace plan.

“The [EU] Council will assess the situation and, should it be required, adopt necessary decisions [sanctions],” they noted in a joint statement.

An EU official told this website that foreign ministers would add more Russians or pro-Russia Ukrainians to the blacklist if things stay the same.

He said EU leaders would call a snap summit to discuss economic sanctions if the conflict escalates.

Rebels continued to kill Ukrainian soldiers during the past week despite President Petro Poroshenko’s unilateral ceasefire.

The ceasefire expires at 10pm local time on Friday, with Poroshenko, who attended the EU summit, saying he will consult with security chiefs in Kiev before deciding his next step.

He came to the EU capital to sign a free trade treaty which binds Ukraine to adopt EU norms and to stay out of Russia’s Eurasian Union.

He said: “We need to speak with Russia and I hope that this dialogue will now really take place.”

But Putin the same day showed little sign of accepting Ukraine’s pro-EU shift. He told state media the conflict is due to “an anti-constitutional coup in Kiev, [and] attempts to force on the Ukrainian people an artificial choice between Europe and Russia”.

His deputy foreign minister said there will be “serious consequences” for the EU treaty signature.

Info: euobserver.com.