EU considering support for members in case of Russia counter-sanctions

BRUSSELS - The European Union is considering support measures for EU countries if Russia decides to launch counter-sanctions in response to the measures imposed on it by the bloc, a senior EU official said on Monday.

"If we see in the next days counter measures from Russia which begin to have an economic cost on the European Union economies, then I think potentially we may need to think, or to roll out contingency plans that can offer targeted support to Member States," the official said.

"It is something that's under consideration. Particularly, I think in the context, if we begin to see countermeasures from Russia," the official said.