EU leaders prepare for long confrontation with Russia

European Council President Donald Tusk addresses a news conference following a European Union leaders summit in Brussels December 18, 2014. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union leaders warned Moscow they are ready to flex their combined muscle and "stay the course" in a long confrontation with Russia if President Vladimir Putin refuses to pull back from Ukraine.

"We must go beyond being reactive and defensive. As Europeans we must regain our self-confidence and realise our own strengths," said Donald Tusk, the former Polish premier who chaired a brief EU summit in Brussels on Thursday.