EU leaders call for sanctions against Ukraine leaders

European leaders called for sanctions Wednesday against members of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych's regime after violence killed at least 26 people. French Francois Hollande and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk called for "rapid and targeted European sanctions against those leaders responsible for these acts," the Financial Times reported Wednesday. Other European leaders echoed similar sentiments. European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, who secured a promise from Yanukovych last month that there would be no crackdown on protesters, also condemned the situation in Ukraine, saying Wednesday the European Union would begin the process of sanctioning those behind the violence. "There are no circumstances that can legitimize or justify such scenes," Barroso said. "We have also made it clear that the EU will respond to any deterioration on the ground," Barroso said. "We therefore expect that targeted measures against those responsible for violence and use of excessive force can be agreed by our member states as a matter of urgency." Diplomacy was at a stalemate as EU leaders reportedly couldn't reach Yanukovych by phone, the Times said. Catherine Ashton, the European Union's foreign policy chief, called a meeting of the bloc's 28 foreign ministers in Brussels Thursday to debate targeted sanctions. "All possible options will be explored, including restrictive measures against those responsible for repression and human rights violations," Ashton said in a statement Wednesday. Yanukovych upped the pressure on opposition leaders in Ukraine Wednesday, warning them to "immediately disassociate themselves from radical forces which are provoking bloodshed."