British Foreign Secretary William Hague said he is confident that the European Union (EU) will ratchet up pressure on Russia over its role in the breakaway of Ukraine's Crimea region by imposing sanctions on people linked to the secession of the peninsula, AP reported. The 28-nation EU condemned the Crimea referendum which overwhelmingly backed a return to Russia, and the EU foreign ministers were assessing on Monday who to target for asset freezes and travel bans. Hague said that he was confident of reaching agreement on the list of officials to hit with sanctions and hinted more measures against Russia could be taken at a summit of EU leaders starting Thursday.
