Ukraine is now overrun with hundreds of foreign tanks, President Petro Poroshenko said Saturday as he pleaded for other European countries to help in the escalating crisis that has no end in sight.
"Ukraine now is a subject of foreign military aggression and terror," Poroshenko said in Brussels before an EU summit, according to Bloomberg News. "Thousands of foreign troops and hundreds of foreign tanks are now on the territory of Ukraine."
At the summit, EU leaders are expected to slap more sanctions on Russia. Two days ago NATO accused Russia of sending armed troops into eastern Ukraine, a move seen as a violation of Ukraine's sovereignty.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the satellite images NATO claims as proof of an invasion are false and came from "computer games."
"The sanctions will certainly be strengthened and it will be the European Commission's task to raise their level," French President Francois Hollande said, Bloomberg reported.
Russia could see some of its companies banned from syndicated loans with the new round of sanctions, along with more restrictions on debt-market financing, European diplomats told the news site on condition of anonymity. There could also be a ban on weapons purchasing in relation to existing military contracts.
The U.S. and EU previously imposed visa bans on certain Russians, as well as asset freezes.
As the EU prepares to restrict Russian finances, more than 1 billion euros in loans could make its way to Ukrainian forces to help battle pro-Russian separatists in the five-month conflict that has killed 2,600 people, according to the United Nations.
"We are in a very serious, I would say dramatic, situation," European Commission President Jose Barroso said according to Bloomberg. "We may see a situation that has reached a point of no return."
