BRUSSELS, March 21. /ITAR-TASS/. After the first day of the EU summit in Brussels Germany’s Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel shared her views as to the possibility of economic sanctions being taken against Russia in the wake of the latest developments in Ukraine.

Merkel said the sanctions might follow only in case of what she described as “an escalation of the Ukrainian crisis.” She did not explain what the term “escalation” meant in the current context, but a spokesman for the chancellor’s staff explained that sanctions would ensue in case Russia moved troops into eastern Ukraine.

“The European Union would be prepared to furnish financial support for Kiev after the new government has come to terms with the International Monetary Fund,” Merkel said.