European Council President Donald Tusk attends a press conference following a special meeting of the European Council to endorse the draft Brexit withdrawal agreement and to approve the draft political declaration on future EU-UK relations on November 25, 2018 in Brussels. - The European Union's top official urged British lawmakers to ratify the Brexit deal Prime Minister Theresa May has negotiated with European leaders, warning it will not be modified.<br />"This is the best deal possible for Britain, this is the best deal possible for Europe. This is the only deal possible," Jean-Claude Juncker, the president of the European Commission, said after a Brussels summit. (Photo by JOHN THYS / AFP)
"I condemn Russian use of force in Azov Sea. Russian authorities must return Ukrainian sailors, vessels & refrain from further provocations," Tusk tweeted, adding: "Europe will stay united in support of Ukraine."
The EU's Political and Security Committee, which groups ambassadors from the 28 member states, will meet on Monday at 3:00 pm (1400 GMT) for talks on the crisis, which has raised fears of a wider military escalation between Russia and Ukraine.
Russia fired on and then seized three Ukrainian ships on Sunday, accusing them of illegally entering its waters in the Sea of Azov, in a dramatic spike in tensions that raises fears of a wider escalation.
Kiev has called for the West to step up sanctions against Russia -- imposed over its annexation of Crimea and interference in the conflict in eastern Ukraine -- but with EU states divided on the matter Monday's meeting is not expected to yield any major developments.
French and German officials will also discuss the crisis in Berlin. France and Germany are part of the so-called "Normandy format", which groups them with Ukraine and Russia in a diplomatic process to resolve a conflict that has rumbled on since 2014 with the cost of more than 10,000 lives.
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