BRUSSELS: The European Union must thrash out a strategy for Russia that lasts for many years, and looks past sanctions that have hammered Moscow's economy, the bloc's new leader Donald Tusk warned Thursday.
Leaders at a summit in Brussels also called for the urgent launch of a huge 315-billion-euro ($380-billion) investment plan aimed at kick-starting Europe's economy, although there were no pledges of hard cash.
As the EU agreed new sanctions against Crimea, which was annexed by Russia from Ukraine in March, former Polish prime minister Tusk used his first summit as European Council president to take a longer-term view.
"We must go beyond being reactive and defensive. As Europeans, we must regain our self-confidence and realise our own strength," Tusk told a press conference after the summit when asked about Russia.
"This is maybe not a never-ending story but we need a long-perspective strategy. It will need... plans for years, not only for weeks or for months."
The summit wrapped up after just one evening, a far cry from often-marathon EU meetings, and a sign of Tusk's new style at the helm of the 28-nation bloc.
Tusk's Russia comments also hinted at a shift in policy, with EU nations showing little appetite for stronger sanctions as they eye blowback on their own struggling economies from the recent collapse of Russia's currency.
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