European Union (EU) leaders decided early Sunday 31/8/14, to give Russia one week to de-escalate the Ukraine crisis, otherwise the bloc would impose tougher sanctions on Moscow, European Council President Herman Van Rompuy told a news conference after a special summit in Brussels. According to a draft statement from the summit, the EU leaders were set to ask the European Commission and the EU's diplomatic service "to urgently undertake preparatory work" on further sanctions that could be implemented if necessary.