The European President of the Commission Jose Manuel Barroso warned today in a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, that any new “destabilization” of Ukraine will “cost dearly” to his country.

In an announcement the European Commission spoke of a “very frank exchange of views” between the two leaders. The president of the Commission expressed to Putin his “deep concern” about reports that Russian troops engaged in battles in Ukraine and stressed that “strongly condemns” the operations of “Russian military units on Ukrainian territory.”

Barroso also urged Putin to “reverse the course” of things noting that “it is difficult to continue to advocate for cooperation when faced with this escalation.”

“The European Union has already stated clearly that any new destabilization in Ukraine and in the region will have increased costs,” he warned.

Finally, the European president of the Commission also stressed that the situation “is completely contrary to the efforts made by the EU to find diplomatic solutions” to the crisis, particularly as regards the implementation of the Association Agreement between Ukraine and Brussels and the continued cooperation of Russia with Ukraine in the energy sector.