The German Foreign Minister has said he expects EU leaders to take steps to punish Russia unless Moscow shows it is willing to work towards a diplomatic solution in Ukraine.

Frank-Walter Steinmeier was speaking in Geneva after talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Monday night.

“Regarding assurances that there will be no infringement on the territorial integrity (of Ukraine) I replied that this must be indicated and shown by Russia’s actions. What we are seeing at the moment does not yet correspond to that.”

On Monday, European Foreign Ministers said they would not rule out sanctions against Russia if it refused to withdraw its troops from Ukraine.

There were also calls for mediation and dialogue between Ukraine and Russia.

European Union leaders are due to meet on Thursday in Brussels to respond further to the Ukraine crisis.