"In case there is any further military attack by Russia against Ukraine, we will respond, with massive consequences, massive costs for Russia," European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen told the assembled ranks of heads of states, governments and top analysts attending the annual Munich Security Conference in Germany over the weekend.

"We hope for the best, but are prepared for the worst", she continued. Russia's "dangerous thinking, which comes straight out of a dark past, may cost Russia a prosperous future", she warned.