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Russia must be met with “united and determined” action over the imprisonment of the opposition leader Alexei Navalny, the EU’s foreign affairs chief, Josep Borrell, has said ahead of ministerial discussions on sanctions, The Guardian reported. 

Borrell said the Kremlin had rejected a diplomatic way out of the crisis.

Speaking before a meeting of foreign ministers in Brussels on Monday, where a number of member states are expected to push for work to start on targeting individuals, potentially on human rights grounds, Borrell signalled a hardening of his own position.

“It is clear that Russia is on a confrontational course with the EU. In the case of Mr Navalny, there is a blunt refusal to respect the engagement, including refusal to take into account the decisions of the European court of human rights,” he said. “It is going to be an important discussion of foreign affairs ministers as how to react to this and I hope we will do it in a united and determined way.”