European Union (EU) heads of state and government began their emergency summit Monday to discuss the Georgia crisis and seek a compromise on the bloc's relations with Russia.
The leaders, who are expected to show support for Georgia, will be unlikely to agree on sanctions against Russia.
"I do not want any sanctions because we are economically interdependent with the Russians -- Russians need our market, we need the Russian market," Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb told reporters ahead of the summit.
But he indicated that the EU will come up with a strong-worded statement against Moscow.
"That (no sanction) does not mean that we should stay away from tough language," he said.
EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner also indicated that there would not be sanctions against Russia.
"What we should do is to have a crystal clear, but at the same time rational, realistic and balanced approach (to Russia)," she told reporters.
Ferrero-Waldner said that the EU is having a difficult moment with Russia. "With Russia, it certainly cannot be business as usual," she said.
The commissioner said that the EU will show solidarity with Georgia.
"We have to show to Georgia that we really support their territorial integrity and will do more for their economy," she said.
On Aug. 7, Georgia launched a sudden attack on South Ossetia in an attempt to regain control of the breakaway region. Tbilisi's move triggered prompt reactions from Russia, whose troops drove Georgian forces out of the region.
Russia last week recognized South Ossetia and another breakaway region of Abkhazia as independent states, a move that angered the West.
Source:Xinhua
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