European Union Leaders will hold an emergency summit today to decide what to do about Russia’s occupation of Ukraine’s Crimea Peninsula.  This meeting in Brussels follows a largely unsuccessful day in Paris in which foreign ministers failed to make much of any progress.

British Prime Minister David Cameron is hoping that he can corral Sweden, Poland, and other nations that might have historical axes to grind with Russia into pushing for sanctions against Russia.  However, other countries that do business with Moscow and buy natural gas from Russia’s Gazprom are leaning more towards negotiations.  Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel leads that faction.

Earlier on Wednesday, US Secretary of State John Kerry said that attempted discussions with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov were “tough”, but promised to continue to keep trying.

In Simferopol, UN Special Envoy to Crimea Robert Serry of the Netherlands was beset by a hostile group of pro-Russian demonstrators, some armed.  They effectively trapped him in a cafe, but the Dutchman kept his cool, and was able to phone his superiors.  Serry eventually decided to abandon the mission, and was rushed out on the first available flight – so quickly, he had to leave his luggage behind.